Rachel Santesso

Rachel Santesso is a Canadian born soprano, composer/arranger and conductor. She is the founder and director of the Capital Children's Choir.
Biography
Santesso studied voice and oboe at the Conservatorio di Verona (a faculty of the University of Verona) in Italy and was also an organ scholar during that time. She came to the UK at age seventeen and in 2001 founded the Capital Children's Choir in London. She also worked briefly as a music teacher at a North London school where one of her pupils was Lily Allen who later described Santesso as her mentor. She made her professional debut as a soloist with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra when she was 19 and went on to release two solo albums.
Solo classical recordings
Santesso released her debut album The Songs of Louis Vierne in 2005 after researching the composer and his unknown sacred repertoire for several years. The project was entirely self funded and features Santesso as soprano accompanied by Roger Vignoles on piano. The album was favourably reviewed in the American Record Guide and Fanfare Magazine.
Shortly after releasing The Songs of Louis Vierne, Santesso began to research the sacred repertoire of Nino Rota, best known for writing the soundtrack to The Godfather films. The Sacred Heart of Nino Rota was released in 2008 and features the composer's unknown sacred classical works. It is performed by Santesso and the Italian contralto Sara Mingardo.
Capital Children's Choir
The Capital Children's Choir was founded in 2001 by Santesso and performs regularly at venues such as the Vatican, Twickenham Stadium, The O2 Arena, and Wembley Stadium. They have performed at major sporting events and alongside artists such as Rihanna and The Spice Girls as well as on The Conan Show with Vanessa Carlton.
Santesso continues to direct the choir which regularly records her choral and orchestral arrangements of famous pop songs. Videos of these performances also appear on the Choir's official YouTube channel. Her most recent arrangement of the Lady Gaga song "Judas" was described as "flawless, otherworldy and haunting" by Lady Gaga.
Discography
* Louis Vierne: The Songs of Louis Verne - Rachel Santesso, soprano; Roger Vignoles, piano; Andrew Reid, organ; Hugh Webb, harp. (Label: Deux-Elles)
* Nino Rota: The Sacred Heart of Nino Rota - Rachel Santesso, soprano; Christopher Lemmings, tenor. (Label: Zitto)
* Winter Magic - Hayley Westenra, soprano; various artists; Rachel Santesso, conductor. (Label: Decca)
* "Rabbits on the Run" - Vanessa Carlton; Rachel Santesso, conductor. (Label: Razor & Tie)

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