Rachel Abbatiello

Rachel Abbatiello received bachelor’s degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. While at Catawba, she studied voice under Christina Pier and toured nationally and internationally with multiple ensembles under the baton of Dr. Paul E. Oakley, Dr. Jim Shepherd, and Dr. Justin Hazelgrove. In addition to performing throughout college, she also conducted the Catawba College Chapel Scholars, First Presbyterian Children’s Choir, and served as a substitute conductor for various church choirs. Rachel was also the president of Catawba’s collegiate chapter for the National Association for Music Educators.

After graduating, Rachel taught in the public school system for 8 years as a special education teacher, Special education lead teacher and choir director in Concord, North Carolina. In 2018, Rachel started a private voice studio at In Tune School of the Arts and co-founded MicDrop, a 3-day musical theatre intensive workshop for middle and high school students. Before joining DCINY, Rachel was a full-time private voice instructor and performer. She performed equally at home and abroad as an opera and musical theatre singer. Rachel is a 2-time DCINY alumni, and joined our team following an amazing performance with Eric Whitacre at Carnegie Hall in 2022.