Mag.a phil. Rachel Olney MA (Cant.), BA, Specialist for German studies
Lecturer for German for Singers B1
olney-r@mdw.ac.at
Rachel Olney, French-born English national, studied languages and linguistics at the universities of Cambridge (1996-2000) and Vienna (2001-2004) and Theology at Oak Hill College, London (2006-2009) and received all degrees with distinction. She is a certified trainer for German as a Foreign Language (University of Vienna, 2004) and English as a Foreign Language (International House, London, 2009).
As a linguist and language trainer it is her passion to analyze language to use and communicate as effectively as possible. She has ample experience in teaching. As a freelance language trainer in Vienna (2004-06) she teaches English and German via Linguista, Pro Active and Deutschakademie. Bayer and Metro are some of the companies where she gave private lessons for adults and children. She taught English as an assistant teacher at two schools in Styria (Knittelfeld and Seckau, 98-99), as well as in summer courses in Austria, Moldova and Hungary (2004, 05, 06,11). She has given countless tutoring lessons in Latin, French, English and German. She also developed special courses, e.g. German as a foreign language for students of theology (2005) or an English pronunciation course for a hard of hearing twelve year old (98-99).
Rachel is also at home in the world of classical music, as an artist and as a manager. She took violin lessons from Howard Davis at the Royal Academy of Music, London. 2000 she received a diploma in violin performance from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. With the renowned Endellion String Quartet, she completed a master-class course with a music scholarship granted by the University of Cambridge. She has taught violin, piano and recorder. Since 2012 she is a consultant for art and culture in the Operation Mobilisation Österreich and founded the Crescendo Orchestra Austria in 2012. She is concertmaster of the orchestra of the Universität Wien and in 2013 had chamber music performances (violin) in Portugal and the United Kingdom as well as in various cities in Austria. She played orchestral concerts in 2013 with the All Souls Orchestra in France, and at the Crescendo Summer Institute in Sárospatak, Hungary, she played in the orchestra for Mozart's Don Giovanni.
Will be employed as German as a foreign language trainer for singers at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst from October-2013. She loves to combine her passions for languages, music and people through this role.