Rachel Segal, a native Philadelphian, is a multi-genre violinist, arranger, educator, and advocate, who was born into an artistic and musical Jewish family. Naturally, she began playing the violin before she could spell her own name. Rachel’s main teachers include Paul Kantor, Sidney Harth, and Jerome Wigler, and she holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Yale School of Music in violin performance. 

At a young age, Rachel experienced the globalism of music, art, and history firsthand while touring with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, which has led to a life-long love of travel and a theme throughout her career. She has served as Concertmaster and in other orchestral positions of note in the USA, Portugal, and Finland, and has performed all over the world. She spent twelve seasons as a tenured member of the Colorado Symphony and as Concertmaster of Central City Opera. 

Her curiosity and love of learning has led to expanding her own margins of creativity to include everything from Baroque to Hip-Hop. She has appeared on stage with musicians ranging from Itzhak Perlman to Earth, Wind, and Fire, and has commissioned, premiered, and performed many works of contemporary composers, with particular interest in 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 several albums of music by women composers.

Currently, Rachel is the first violinist of the Fairmount String Quartet, Principal violinist of INSCAPE Chamber Orchestra and performs regularly with PostClassical Ensemble, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra 2001, Network for New Music, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia Ballet, and other professional ensembles. Her summers are typically reserved for fun chamber music festivals with friends in beautiful places.

A dedicated educator and mentor, Rachel founded the Primavera Fund, whose mission is to mentor and financially support the musical endeavors of young musicians in Philadelphia. She is 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. Rachel is a proud member of Locals 77, 40-543, and 161-710, Equity Arc, and the Recording Academy. When she is not working she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, engaging with Jewish life, snuggling with her cats Gilbert and Sullivan and walking her dog Sam, and reading chamber music with friends.