'Musetta is one of my favourite roles in the repertoire,' explains Rachel, 'one I have often been told by teachers and coaches I would be well suited to, and one I hope to perform in the future. So having the chance to learn it and work on it with Hurn Court Opera was a no-brainer for me.

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'There were so many memorable moments on La Bohème,' she says 'but a real highlight of mine was the opportunity for the cover cast to sing through the whole opera with the fantastic orchestra. This is often a missed opportunity in other companies due to time constraints, but I found it such an important experience. The atmosphere in the rehearsal room and the collaborative, positive, friendly work ethic of all involved were also great aspects of this production.

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'Covering a role can be harder than singing it due to the lack of rehearsal time,' she adds. 'But you still have to be ready to jump in at any moment to play the principal part.' Explaining the value of covering, Rachel says 'It's important for other companies to see roles like Musetta - that is, the standard repertoire - on your CV so that they can gauge your voice-type and other roles for which they could employ you. This can be really helpful in getting you into an audition room, something which is increasingly difficult with such a huge number of singers, especially sopranos, vying for fewer jobs in the UK.'