Praised for her “dark, velvety mezzo” (Opera News) and “exceptional strength and solidity” (San Francisco Classical Voice) Renée Rapier is quickly establishing herself in opera houses around the world.  

Recently, she appeared as Cherubino in both The Ghosts of Versailles and Le Nozze di Figaro at LA Opera, as Mrs. Bass in Emmeline with Opera Theatre St. Louis, as Cornelia in Giulio Cesare at Wolf Trap Opera, as the Page in Salome with both the Ravinia Festival and Opera San Antonio, as well as covering the title role of Arden Scott in Jake Haggie's Great Scott in both Dallas and San Diego.  Her 2016/2017 season includes a debut with Seattle Opera, a return to San Francisco Opera as Mercédès in Calixto Bieito's provocative production of Carmen, as well as returns to the LA Philharmonic and Opera Parallèle.

In 2011 Renée was chosen as a Domingo-Thornton Young Artist at the LA Opera where she made her professional debut as Stephano (Roméo et Juliette).  She then joined the prestigious Adler fellowship in 2012, where she performed several roles on the San Francisco Opera stage including Giovanna (Rigoletto), Pantalis (Mefistofele), and Meg Page (Falstaff).  

Renée was the 2012 winner of the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, and the 2013 winner of the Brava! Opera Theater and James M. Collier Young Artist Program Vocal Competition. Ms. Rapier is also the recipient of the Chautauqua Studio Artist Award, a winner in the Schubert Club Scholarship Competition, a national finalist of the Bel Canto Vocal Scholarship Foundation, a 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions national semifinalist, a finalist of the 2013 Seoul International Music Competition and most recently a semifinalist of Operalia 2015 in London.  

Ms. Rapier is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa where she studied both voice and viola.  She also received training at the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, Chautauqua Opera, and the Merola Opera Program.