Rachel learnt the violin and piano from a young age, gaining a place in The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain aged 14 and moving on to study the violin with Hugh Bean CBE and Rodney Friend MBE at The Royal College of Music, where she won several prestigious scholarships and awards and a place in The European Youth Community Orchestra.
Rachel became a First Violin in The London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1992 at the age of just 22 and enjoyed fifteen years working with the world’s leading musicians touring the world, making commercial recordings (including the music for ‘The Lord of the Rings’), playing for Glyndebourne Opera House and residency at The Royal Festival Hall. During this time, Rachel was also appointed Education Coordinator of The London Philharmonic Orchestra where she realised she has a passion for teaching and nurturing music with young people of all ages and diversities. In this role Rachel trained and worked with leading music consultants and educators in the UK, collaborating in projects and workshops in schools both in this country and all over the world.
In 2009 Rachel co-founded ‘Kidenza’ Classical concerts for kids, aiming to bring Classical music to children of all ages and diversities. Kidenza combined interactive and innovative free work-packs for schools to study a breadth of classical music in a fun, accessible format, to be delivered by specialist music teachers, which culminated in a sponsored, low cost, local concert by top London Musicians, where children could see the music they had studied played live and interact with the professional musicians.
Rachel gained QTS in 2011 and moved into full-time education spending the first 6 years in a non-selective, co-educational secondary school as a music teacher. Rachel’s teaching career has continued to flourish with her most recent appointment to Woldingham Sacred Heart School as Head of Academic Music and subsequently Acting Director of Music in 2022.
Rachel continues to work as a freelance professional violinist and is Leader of The London Festival Sinfonia.
Rachel has always enjoyed a thriving violin and viola teaching practice, with students gaining top marks in ABRSM and Trinity Music exams, music scholarships to prestigious schools, Junior and Senior London Music Conservatoire entry and places to National Children’s and Youth Orchestras. Rachel is a Chamber Music coach for Pro Corda, and also enjoys conducting and directing orchestras and larger ensembles. Rachel achieves stunning results for her GCSE and A level composition tutoring, with results for her 2024 cohort as 100% 7-9 at GCSE and an A* at A level with a place to Cambridge University with an organ scholarship.
Rachel believes that fostering a real love of music through nurture, fun, encouragement and excellent teaching is the way to achieve musical excellence.
