Rachel Allen is a folk singer/songwriter and percussionist that has performed professionally at concerts, clubs, coffeehouses, universities, festivals, wineries and other events throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. Past and present venues include: SomerFest, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Stone Villa Wine Cellars, and Thunder in the Valley, The DillWeed Bed and Breakfast, The BackDoor Café, opening for internationally known folksinger David Mallet at Laurel Arts Soundstage Series and for internationally known labor singer Anne Feeney. Rachel performs traditional, multi-cultural, and contemporary folk music and original material. Rachel is well known for her strong vocal delivery, versatility and range. Rachel can easily go from a Yoruba women’s chant with djembe to an Irish ballad to a traditional folk blues song. She enjoys connecting with her audiences and engaging them in the context of the music, and when appropriate, the songs themselves. Rachel has a deep commitment to integrating music into the community. She works and performs with children from pre-school to high school age, with adults with mental illness, and facilitates several community drum circles. Rachel is a rostered artist with the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center in Johnstown, Pa. working in conjunction with Greater Johnstown School District for the Trojan Learning Center and After School Live programs providing hands on multi-cultural music experiences for middle schoolers and high schoolers. Rachel works for Windber Medical Center, a Planetree hospital that addresses the four main branches of health; body, mind, spirit and community. Rachel works sharing music as a tool for healing with patients, their family members, staff and volunteers in the hospice unit and patient floors. She is also a Health Rhythms facilitator for WMC. In addition, she directs the adult and children’s choirs at Christ United Methodist Church in the Moxham section of Johnstown, Pa. Rachel was accepted into a song leading fellowship with Alice Parker, a world renowned compose and arranger, at the Melodious Accord Institute in Massachusetts in November of 2004. Rachel was selected from a nationwide pool of musicians and featured in Calliope Folk Music Society of Pittsburgh’s Emerging Legends Series in June of 2005. She has appeared live on The Saturday Light Brigade, hosted by Larry Berger and The Acoustic Hour Radio Show, hosted by Anthony Frazier. Her first solo CD entitled Almost There was released in May of 2005. Rachel Allen lives in the Moxham section of Johnstown, Pa. with her husband John, a photographic artist, and children Johnny and Riley Grace.