Recently named by The Washington Post as a “classical composer and performer to watch in 2022,” conductor, vocalist, instrumentalist, and visual artist Raquel Acevedo Klein has been described by composer Angélica Negrón as a “force to be reckoned with.” (Washington Post) With her immense versatility as a musician and composer, Raquel is a highly sought after collaborator in the New York City region and surrounding areas.
The upcoming season includes performances with The Shed inside their Sonic Sphere; Brooklyn Botanic Garden (as composer and performer alongside frequent collaborators Angélica Negrón and Darian Donovan Thomas); and the American Composer Orchestra 2023 Gala and Creative Catalyst Awards (ACO programs her 40-voice electroacoustic vocal symphony Polyphonic Interlace, which audience members are invited to participate in). Raquel co-composes a score with Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry to accompany the film Adrian’s Castle, and will record vocals for the lead actress’ role as well as underscoring for the entire film. Opera Philadelphia has also commissioned Raquel to compose her first opera to be premiered in a future season, which she will perform in as the lead role.
Last season, Raquel gave her conducting debut at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic and Roomful of Teeth as part of the re-opening of David Geffen Hall. Her trio debut with composers and dear friends Caroline Shaw and Angélica Negrón happened at Caramoor, where the three melded their voices and electroacoustic sounds to create an evening of new music and improvisations. Also at Caramoor, Raquel’s multichannel motet Polyphonic Interlace pulled in hundreds of people to hear her voice projected from speakers lining the perimeter of the Spanish Courtyard. She sang modal improvisations with a 3-piece band in an immersive music-theater collaboration with acclaimed visual artist Swoon and Sxip Shirey, for the Walk with Amal festival at St. Ann's Warehouse; appeared on WNYC's New Sounds at the Greene Space, with host John Schaefer and composer Timo Andres, to celebrate the legacy and community surrounding Ingram Marshall by conducting the Metropolis Ensemble; and even recorded vocals and appeared in the film Euphoria by Julian Rosefeldt, starring Cate Blanchett and Carlos Esposito.
In 2021, Raquel curated a four-week festival to celebrate the opening of Little Island at Pier 55, where she premiered her audience-interactive Polyphonic Interlace, made from 40 recorded layers of her voice. Raquel’s dynamic compositions and electric performances have captured the attention of The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Los Angeles Times.
Conducting credits include the New York Philharmonic, Roomful of Teeth, the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Beth Morrison Projects, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. She has premiered vocal works by John Adams, Philip Glass, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, and Paola Prestini. Some favorite performance highlights include engagements with Caroline Shaw, Glen Hansard, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, Claire Chase, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Her rapidly growing career has also taken her onstage at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, The Town Hall, BAM, and on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Raquel was born and raised in Brooklyn in a Puerto Rican, Colombian, and Jewish family of visual artists. For more information about her work, please visit https://raquelacevedoklein.com.
You can also follow Raquel on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/raquel.a.klein/
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