Rachel Baptist was a Black Irish soprano, who predominantly appeared in Irish "pleasure gardens” in the 1750s and 1760s performing arias by Handel and Arne among others. She was credited with turning Kilkenny into “a town of pleasure” following appearances at the Tholsel in the 1750s, and gave numerous performances in the town as well as in Dublin. Ahead of a performance in Liverpool in 1758 she was fêted in the local press as “the celebrated singer from the garden of Dublin” and “Ireland’s Black Syren”. 
 
Soprano Rachel Redmond joins the world-class Irish Baroque Orchestra and director Peter Whelan to recreate Rachel Baptist’s performances, in this latest release in their Irish heritage series on Linn Records.