ABOUT ME
Rachel Segal, a native of Philadelphia, is a globally recognized violinist with over twenty-five years of experience, having performed and collaborated with top artists and ensembles across the world. Known for her commitment to new music and creative projects, Rachel has established a reputation for both technical mastery and emotional depth, with a healthy dose of risk-taking.
Throughout her career, Rachel has worked in diverse musical settings, from intimate solo performances to large-scale productions, and has earned acclaim for her work in various genres as a performer, recording artist, arranger, and educator. Her international experiences have not only shaped her musical style but also deepened her understanding of cultural nuances, influencing her ability to connect with audiences globally.
In addition to her extensive performing career, Rachel is deeply committed to supporting the next generation of musicians through her work with the Primavera Fund, fostering opportunities for talented artists who may otherwise face barriers to success. She is also the Associate Director of the Young Musicians Debut Orchestra and Chamber Music Director of Music and Mindfulness, a camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
As a member of the Recording Academy, Rachel actively contributes to the broader music community, staying at the forefront of industry trends and advocating for the advancement of music and its creators. As a mentor for GrammyU, Rachel actively guides young musicians beginning their journey in the music industry.
Rachel first performed in Weill Recital Hall at age fourteen, and two years later performed for the first time in Carnegie Hall and at the Kennedy Center under the baton of Alexander Schneider. By age seventeen she had performed in concert halls across The USA, Europe, and the Middle East, as well as Puerto Rico. She holds the distinction of being the youngest students ever accepted into Yale School of Music at only nineteen years old. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Yale School of Music in violin performance.
Rachel’s professional career has spanned the globe with posts as Concertmaster and other titled orchestral positions in the USA, Portugal, and Finland. She spent twelve seasons as a tenured member of the Colorado Symphony and as Concertmaster of Central City Opera, during which time she was invited to join the Orchesta Sinfonica Portuguesa for three months as interim Concertmaster, leading the orchestra in symphonic, operatic, and chamber orchestra performances.
A prolific chamber musician and arranger, Rachel has commissioned, premiered, and performed many works of contemporary composers and is particularly interested in performing works by women and composers from traditionally underrepresented communities. She has arranged music for string quartet, voice and piano, horn quartet, and solo violin, and has recorded the music of women composers, as well as an album of pop covers and an album of music for Yoga by Ellen Fishman with the Fairmount String Quartet on Spring Garden Records.
Rachel has performed with Peter Gabriel, Steve Martin, Earth Wind and Fire, Tony Bennett, and many others superstars of the popular music scene, has recorded with Devotchka and toured in California with Andrea Bocelli. She was also in the orchestra for the 2005 recording of “Too Hot to Handel: the Gospel Messiah” with Marin Alsop and the Colorado Symphony. She is the principal violinist of INSCAPE Chamber Orchestra and performs regularly with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, PostClassical Ensemble, Orchestra 2001, Network for New Music, and other professional ensembles. Her performance of the chamber orchestra version of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with PostClassical Ensemble was named one of the top 10 performances of 2022 in Washington, D.C..
Rachel is a proud member of Locals 77, 40-543, and 161-710, and Equity Arc. She lives in the Brewerytown area of Philadelphia with her dog Sam and cats Gilbert and Sullivan. Outside of music, Rachel enjoys reading, crocheting, traveling, cooking (especially baking challah), reading chamber music with friends. and and snuggling with her dog Sam and cats Gilbert and Sullivan. Her favorite holidays are Halloween and Passover.
