Raphaela is a British / Greek singer, leader and educator. She was born in London to a musical family, and brought up on a varied and balanced diet of Bhundu Boys, the soundtracks of Stand By Me and Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the violin concertos of Brahms, Beethoven and Bruch. After studying English at Cambridge, she went to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama on a full scholarship, where she learned classical vocal technique with Janice Chapman and won many prizes and awards including 1st prize at the National Mozart Competition. She has enjoyed a busy and varied career as an operatic soprano, singing for companies such as the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne and the Berlin Staatsoper, and specialising in contemporary chamber-music repertoire, performing with such world-class groups as the Kalaidoscope Chamber Collective, the Navarra Quartet and Meta4. A Vocal Fellow at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago and an Artist-in-Residence at the Banff Centre in Canada, she produced and starred in her own sold-out show I Object at the ICA, generously supported by the City Music Foundation. Raphaela is passionate about music education and community music-making and has several posts leading choirs and theatre groups. A qualified teacher, she also runs a thriving private studio where she teaches students of all ages and abilities, helping them to find their own authentic voice. She is currently teaching herself the ukulele.
Singing is my passion, my first love and the secret of my energy […] I have given my heart to singing. When I sing, I can feel the romance in everything around me.
Kailash Kher
Raphaela Papadakis 