About Rachel Felstein
Rachel is a committed and experienced teaching artist who delights in students' progress and success. Able to be highly organized or improvisational as the occasion demands, as a teacher she emphasizes both professional conduct and creative joy. Comfortable with all ages, Rachel utilizes knowledge gained from a wide variety of performance, teaching, and training to customize learning and the creative process.
Rachel grew up in New York City in a family of artists. Her father is a professional pianist and music director, and Rachel began studying piano and music theory when she was three. In addition to learning to read and play music Rachel was always singing. As she grew up Rachel took private voice lessons and attended LaGuardia Arts High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts (the "FAME" school) in Manhattan as a voice major. Rachel graduated high school and was granted a number of awards, after which she attended Mannes College the New School for Music as a Voice Performance major. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree and spent the next few years singing opera and operetta, acting in musicals, and teaching students of all ages privately as well through several children's music companies in NYC and Rutgers/NJIT in New Jersey.
Since moving to Washington, DC in 2017 and earning an MFA at George Washington University, Rachel has established herself as a member of the theater community here; acting in productions with Arena Stage, Mosaic Theatre Co of DC, and Taffety Punk among others. During the pandemic shut down Rachel was a producer of a weekly concert series "Night @ Newcastle" from her home with numerous collaborators from the arts community here, and which co-produced music programs with Olney Theatre Center, Monumental Theatre Co, and Creative Cauldron. In addition to performing as an actor and musician in plays and musicals, Rachel is an award winning composer. She has written, arranged, and music directed for multiple productions. As a classical singer Rachel has been a staff singer at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Friendship Heights for four years, where she regularly sings solos and leads the soprano section of the church choir.
Rachel is an educator and performer who works with students of all ages, but specializes in very young beginners. She teaches Piano, Voice, and Guitar, and she embraces creativity in her instruction, as well as customized theory and practical curriculums. As a goal, Rachel wants to always make sure her students feel empowered by their lessons and that learning an instrument is a positive experience. Rachel has also taught music and theater classes to middle and high school aged students throughout the Maryland area.
