rachel mackenzie

Voice Teacher

Rachel MacKenzie is a NYC based Singer, Music Director, Accompanist, and general enthusiast of all things arts. She currently serves as a Professor at the University of Albany in the Theatre Department and works as an accompanist at NYU Steinhardt. Her students have performed Off Broadway, in National Tours, Regional Theaters, and the Karaoke Bars around the country. When she’s not teaching Rachel enjoys singing backup for some of Broadway’s favorite voices, acting in shows, learning new instruments, and having jam sessions with her friends and family. 

Where are you from? Milford, Massachusetts 

Where did you go to undergrad? B.A in Music and Anthropology from UMass Amherst,  M.M. and Advanced Certificate in Vocal Ped from NYU, Additional training at Berklee and New England Conservatory. 

What are your musical influences? I love Ella Fitzgerald, Sara Bareilles, Regina Spektor, and P!nk. I also love standards of the 1930s-1950s dearly. Harold Arlen and Beethoven are two of my favorite composers. When I was in middle school and early high school I was in a garage jazz band. We were called “Splash of Jazz”. It was exceptionally nerdy and exceptionally fun.  

Go to karaoke song /guilty pleasure song? “Lovefool” by the Cardigans. 

What’s your favorite part about teaching/coaching/doing your job? I just love being a part of the exploratory and collaborative process that exists while a student is working out how to express a sound, story, emotion, or whatever they need to do in that moment.