Rahel Brede gained early stage experience as a member of the children's and youth choir of the Kiel Opera, where she also took on her first solo roles. Even during her studies at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden, she appeared as a guest artist at the Landesbühnen Sachsen (State Theatres of Saxony) as Hänsel in Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel.

 

Immediately after completing her bachelor's degree, she received her first permanent engagement at the Cottbus State Theatre. As an ensemble member, she continuously developed her voice across a broad stylistic spectrum, ranging from Baroque to contemporary music, and distinguished herself in key mezzo-soprano roles. Her roles include Mercédès (Carmen), Emilia (Otello), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), the Fox in Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen, and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, for which she received particular acclaim from the specialist press, including Opernwelt.

 

In the 2021/22 season, Rahel Brede sang the role of Cherubino in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro for the first time (directed by Jasmina Hadžiahmetović). RBB Kultur wrote: "Rahel Brede is absolutely wonderful in the trouser role of the page Cherubino, constantly changing roles, costumes, and gender, reveling in eroticism, truly beguiling us all with her elfin voice and leading us, so to speak, through a fairytale land of love."

Her debut in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, with four roles (La Musica, Ninfa, Messaggiera and Proserpina), was also praised by the press as "particularly effective" (Märkischer Bote) and "overwhelming" (Lausitzer Rundschau).

 

Alongside her stage career, Rahel Brede completed her master's degree in Dresden in 2021 with top marks. Since then, she has continuously developed her voice, including in masterclasses with Brigitte Fassbaender, Elena Gorshunova, Lucas Meachem and Margreet Honig.

 

In addition to her operatic repertoire, Rahel Brede also performs in concert. Early music, such as Bach's Passions, is as much a part of her repertoire as Dvořák's Stabat Mater and Mahler's Second Symphony (Urlicht). In the spring of 2023, she appeared as a soloist in two concerts with the orchestra of the Cottbus State Theatre under the direction of General Music Director Alexander Merzyn, presenting the rarely performed orchestral songs of Alma Mahler-Schindler; one of these concerts was broadcast live on radio and television by RBB Kultur. In 2025, she performed at the Mozart Festival Würzburg, among other venues.

 

In early 2025, Rahel Brede made her international debut at the Korea National Opera in Seoul as Cherubino in Vincent Huguet's production. Since the current season, she has been a member of the ensemble at the Theater Regensburg, where her roles include Suza in Joseph Beer's Polish Wedding, Maddalena in Verdi's Rigoletto, and Ruggiero in Handel's Alcina.

 

Rahel Brede has received awards at various competitions, including as a semi-finalist of the Concorso Lirico Ottavio Ziino in Palermo and as a multiple prize winner of the DEBUT competition (2024).