Rachael Wagstaff

I am in the final year of a Bachelor of Music Performance majoring in Voice through the Melba Conservatorium of Music. Even though my musical training began when I was about eight on the Electric Organ, I grew to have a love of singing after becoming a member of the Victoria State Children’s Choir in 1995 and participating in the making of three cd’s.
My enthusiasm for the theatre and performing in general continued from there. My first stage role was the role of a leper in a school production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
The next show I performed in {2000} was “The Pirates of Penzance” and I played the roles of ‘Mabel’ and a ‘Ward’ in the Emmaus school production. I revisited the role of a ‘Ward’ in an amateur theatre production two years later. Since then, I have been involved in numerous school and community productions, including “Iolanthe” with “Savoy Opera Company” in 2004. Another burst of enthusiasm came from my involvement with the “Young Australian Broadway Chorus” in the “Senior Performing Company” in 2002. It was here that I learned a number of performance skills including basic dance that later became an integral part of my performing.
In 2003, I directed a senior school adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare. I also worked as the Set Designer and performed the role of ‘Theseus’. Also in 2003, I was involved in the ensemble of Melbourne City Opera’s season of “La Boheme” by G. Puccini. I have since continued my association with the company and at the beginning of this year; I became a member of the ensemble. Since then, I have been involved in “Lucia di Lammermoor” by G. Donizetti in June and “Attila” by G. Verdi in September. Our current project is a tribute to the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti that will be staged during late November and early December.
Occasionally, mainly around Christmas-time, I organise a group of student performers to travel to local retirement villages to give performances for the residents. In addition to this, I perform at weddings, birthday celebrations and other celebrations.
As a composer, I never really developed much beyond basic improvisations until I reached university and gained access to computer programmes such as Sibelius and Logic Audio. It was through these programmes and a Composition elective that I was able to develop my eclectic compositional style.

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