Rhiannon Giddens, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, and is currently enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Music School. During her time at Oberlin, where she studied with Associate Professor of Singing Marlene Rosen, Rhiannon performed in five operas. She performed the roles of Juliette in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, and Manon in Massenet's Manon, all under the direction of Jonathon Field. She has worked with such renowned conductors as Paul Polivnick, Professor of Conducting at Oberlin, Ward Holmquist, Artistic Director of Lyric Opera Kansas City, Robert Spano, Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and David Bamberger, General Director of the Cleveland Opera. In her last semester at Oberlin, she worked with the Cleveland Opera in their Outreach Program of Madama Butterfly. As Cio-Cio-San, Rhiannon performed this program in middle and high schools all across Ohio.

In November of 2000 she performed at the American Musicological Society annual meeting in Toronto, Canada as Medeé in Scorn: An Evening of Baroque Opera Scenes, directed by Lydia Steier. Beginning in the spring of 2001 Rhiannon took a professional hiatus, and, returning home to her native city, began learning fiddle, banjo, and flatfooting. She ended her hiatus in May of 2002 with a benefit recital for the Greensboro Opera’s Summer Opera Camp for Kids. Most recently she has taken First Place at the Charlotte Opera Guild Competition (Continuing Education) and at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Scottish Fiddling Competition (Novice). This fall she will be attending UNC-G, studying with Levone Tobin-Scott and performing the role of Beth in the university production of Mark Adamo's Little Women.

When she is not singing opera, Rhiannon performs with a celtic band, Gaelwynd, with whom she sings and plays fiddle, banjo and percussion. She is also an avid contra dance dancer and caller, and she enjoys designing and maintaining websites - www.gaelwynd.com, www.feetretreat.com, and this website.