Rachel Nelson Assi has been involved in music and theater from an early age. Originally from New Jersey, she earned her Bachelor's of Music at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University where she studied Voice with Frederick Urrey. A mezzo-soprano, Rachel has appeared primarily on the opera stage, most recently singing the roles of Indiana Elliott and Anna Hope in Virgil Thomson's "The Mother of Us All," and appearing as Mrs. Jones in Weill's "Street Scene" under the direction of Dona Vaughn.

Rachel has sung in numerous opera choruses including "La Traviata" with Rutgers Opera, "Genoveva" and "Der Zwerg" at the bard Summerscape Festival, "Il Trovatore" with the New Jersey Opera Theater and "Idomeneo" with Coro Lyrico Opera. Rachel has performed for the past five years as a contracted choral singer throughout the New York metro area singing under conductors such as Valery Gergiev and Leon Botstein.

Rachel is certified in music education in three states and has taught classes in chorus, general music, and music theory from pre-kindergarten through high school. She is currently finishing her Master's in music history from Hunter College at the City University of New York, and is an avid fan of Broadway theater as well as classical music.