Hailed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a “beautifully voiced singer-actor,” by the American Record Guide as a mezzo-soprano of “gorgeous expressive singing” and by the Chicago Classical Review as a “mezzo-soprano whose solo moments and dark-hued timbre provided a spiritual, even melancholy counterpoint to the more dance-inflected textures, particularly in the inward “Qui tollis” and “Et incarnatus est” portions of the text of the Misatango.

Winnica specializes in Spanish and Latin-American baroque music, with a deep interest in the influence and transformation of the Spanish language and its origins across the centuries. Her career has taken her to concert halls throughout the Americas and Europe. In the US, she has appeared in concert with Chatham Baroque, The Newberry Consort, The Rose Ensemble and Apollo’s Fire. With Les Délices she participated in an interdisciplinary project that honored the life of the Mexican poet and composer Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. With Quantum Theater she has performed the role of “Maria” in Maria de Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla, “Lorca” from Ainadamar by Osvaldo Golijov, “Hermione” in the baroque pasticcio Winter’s Tale and “Violeta’s sister” in Looking for Violeta, a folk opera by Emily Pinkerton.

In November of 2022, Winnica made her debut as an actress portraying the role of “El Duende” from Maria de Buenos Aires with Kentucky Opera and recent performances include Misatango by Argentinean composer Martin Palmeri with Chicago Choral, Messiah with Atlanta Baroque as well as a tour through the United States with baroque ensemble Apollo’s Fire presenting a program of Jewish diaspora.

Raquel is also exploring the world of staging. As the opera director of the early music program at the 2021 FEMUSC Festival in Brazil, she adapted and directed Le Nozze di Fígaro, and in 2022 she created and directed a pastiche of Monteverdi’s and Gluck’s Orfeo. In June of 2023 she staged The Telephone by Menotti and La Voix humaine by Poulenc at the (ISOFOM), International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia, Mexico.

Born in Córdoba, Argentina, Ms. Winnica Young holds degrees in Vocal Performance from the Instituto de Arte del Teatro Colon and Duquesne University as well as a Masters in Advanced Studies in Theatre at UNIR (Universidad Internacional de Rioja (Spain)). Ms.Winnica Young is Adjunct Faculty in Voice at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches Applied Voice and Vocal Repertoire. Ms.Winnica continues her vocal studies with pedagogue Kenneth Bozeman.