About

Rachel Taylor is a cellist, collaborator, and creative artist whose music spans both classical and contemporary genres. Since a young age, she has dedicated her life to music and cello. While classically trained, Rachel has devoted a large part of her career to playing blues, folk, rock, and other contemporary styles. Additionally, she has used her music as a means of change within her community, creating programs for chamber music and student performances in her hometown. She has also performed at a wide variety of venues to raise awareness for issues like climate change, special education awareness, and music rehabilitation in partnership with organizations like Autism Speaks and Friends of Franklin Arts. Rachel has used her background in various genres to help teach music in community outreach programs and schools, and she hopes to share the importance of music in education through her work. Through groups like the Peabody Sinfonia, Heifetz Institute, and personal engagement, Rachel’s outreach focuses on bringing music to children in underserved communities, senior communities, hospitals,  end-of-life care, and previously incarcerated individuals. Additionally, she works as a performer and concert coordinator for the Heifetz institute, working with students and faculty to create cross-genre performances and introduce students to music and styles outside of the classical literature. She also collaborates with students and guest artists to create educational experiences, and to arrange and compose for their own performances. Rachel also has been heavily involved in New Media collaborations, helping to compose and perform new pieces and scores for films, video games, and interdisciplinary performances. She strongly believes in the power of the arts to create change and impact individuals and communities. She hopes to bridge the gap between audiences and performers by educating listeners and supporting fellow artists. 

Rachel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance from the Peabody Conservatory  of Johns Hopkins, where she studied with Amit Peled. She is currently pursuing her masters degree at the Jacob’s School of Music with Emilio Colon. Rachel has attended various festivals including Interlochen, the Philadelphia International Music Festival, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Orford Musique Academy, Vivace Festival, the Fundacao Franz Schubert, and Heifetz Institute. She has studied with notable professors such as Astrid Schween, Hai Ye-Ni, Melissa Kraut, John Marshall, Mark Summers, Zvi Plesser, Steven Doane, Raman Ramakrishnan, Hannah Roberts, Seth Parker Woods, Guy Fischman, Hans Jorgen Jensen, Peter Stumpf, Maria de Macedo, and Marc Coppey.

Rachel is an active performer in Washington, Virginia, and Maryland. She has been featured as a solo and collaborative artist on WVTF radio, and has performed on NPR Washington with the Peabody Cello gang. She has also performed at the Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, and the Kreeger Museum. Additionally, she is featured as a guest artist on contemporary folk albums Treasures in My Chest by Andrew McKnight and The Jean Ritchie Experience by Kate McLeod. She has also collaborated virtually with local singer-songwriter Lea Morris over the pandemic on her songs What Will You Make, End of the World, and Mama Knows. She is also a staple performer at her community-run folk festival, Mountville, and has coordinated and performed with Andrew McKnight and Beyond Borders, Tom Prasada Rao, Kate McLeod, Lea Morris, The Seldom Seen, Rhiannon Giddens, and Les Thompson of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Some of her most recent work includes performances on live television and radio, collaboration and performance on new works by contemporary artists in the DMV area, shows at the Garth Newel Music Center, concerts with the Inter Asian Cultural Expo, performances with the Charlottesville Ballet, and coaching and performance with the Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia.