Rachel Hynes read music at University College Bretton Hall, Leeds and then studied singing at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating with masters degrees in both Performance and Advanced Opera and winning the prestigious ‘Ye Cronies’ Opera Award.

Rachel Hynes made her critically acclaimed debut as a house principal singing Freia in Das Rheingold. Rachel also performed Helmwige in Die Walküre and Third Norn inGötterdämmerung in Scottish Opera’s internationally acclaimed Ring Cycle. Other roles with Scottish Opera included Giannetta in L’Elisir D’amore, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte (2001), Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice , First Lady in The Magic Flute and Mimi in La Bohème . Rachel sang Denise in Tippett’s The Knot Garden for Scottish Opera in early 2005 to critical acclaim and then with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sir Andrew Davis at the Barbican, and at the Cantiere d’Arte, Montepulciano. She made her Edinburgh International Festival concert debut singing Anna in Maria Stuarda, under Sir Charles Mackerras, and performed Britten’s Les Illuminations with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera and Sir Richard Armstrong. Rachel Hynes was a finalist in the 2005 Wagner Society UK’s Bayreuth Bursary Competition. Other engagements include Cara in the premiere of David Bruce’s new opera Push! for Tête à Tête, 4th Maiden in Strauss’s Elektra in the opening concert of the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival and Alice Ford (cover) at Opera North. Rachel has broadcast on BBC, Classic FM and RAI 3.

Recent and future engagements include her house debut as Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes with Opera North; Lania (cover) in David Sawer’s new opera Skin Deep with Opera North; soprano soloist at the Llanelli Proms; Rachel Hynes created the role of The Figure to great acclaim in David Paul Jones’ new children’s opera The Songbird, for Giant Productions; the title role (cover) in David Alden’s new production of Katya Kabanova at English National Opera and Welsh National Opera;  she created the role of Caregiver in Elena Langer’s new opera The Lion’s Face for The Opera Group (Brighton Festival and The Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House Covent Garden); opera singer/performer in Tightrope with Indepen-dance/Amici Dance Theatre; Witch and the cover of Gertrude in Hansel & Gretel,  Floria Tosca in A Little Bit of Tosca, all at Scottish Opera; Second Lady in Sir Thomas Allen’s new production of The Magic Flute at Scottish Opera.