Rachelle Schmidt Class of 1991

After graduating from Newcastle Grammar School in 1991, Rachelle Schmidt began a Bachelor of Arts in Education at University of Newcastle, but left feeling out of place. She moved to Sydney in her early 20s and worked in retail management, but something was missing. Returning to Newcastle, she joined her family’s electrical company and rekindled her passion for music by taking piano lessons.

Rachelle soon commenced singing lessons and her teacher suggested she audition for a minor role in Annie at the Civic Theatre. Though initially unsuccessful, she was later called back to fill a role.

After Annie, Rachelle made a commitment to herself to audition for other shows and in 2000 she sang as part of a production with Opera Hunter. She received her AMEB diploma and in 2002, decided to pursue a career as a singing teacher.

Rachelle earned a place to study with the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany in 2006, which allowed her to grow in ability and confidence. Once again back in Newcastle in 2013, she founded The Voice Studio, a boutique space for vocal training. Rachelle’s vision was to create a studio which would be a nurturing, personal, safe space where people of every ability could learn or improve their singing. She wanted a place for people to find their true voice. Her studio now employs nine teachers and caters to a diverse range of students, from professional singers to beginners.

Rachelle took many leaps of faith throughout her career, remaining active in community theatre while also fulfilling her teaching roles. Rachelle exemplifies breaking the mould of expectation, making her professional theatre debut at age 50 in the Australian production of Menopause the Musical. She won her fifth CONDA award in 2024 for Best Supporting role in Romeo and Juliet by HER Productions.

Reflecting on her time at School, Rachelle is grateful for the encouragement and sacrifice her parents made to send her to NGS. She believes that her schooling laid the groundwork for the self-assurance, courage and discipline needed in life.

She remembers the frustration of hearing, “If you’re leaving the school grounds, you must wear your blazer!” However, this taught her the importance of showing up well. “You are representing yourself and your school. There’s an elegance in showing up like you mean it. Your costume is a reflection of your character.” This attitude has helped her develop the required fluidity of discipline. “These rules give me the freedom to express myself.”

Rachelle is grateful to the many teachers who nurtured their students beyond the academics.

Her advice to current students is, “Do not define yourself based on what others think you should be doing. It’s important to not define yourself by your age or what others may consider is an acceptable path or framework. Don’t be afraid to defy the normal—feel the fear and do it anyway!”