“Rachel is a great and hardworking professional” – Angel Luis Quintana Perez

As a freelance musician Rachel is a very diverse cellist. Her roots and biggest love lies within the classical music scene, in which she regular performs as chamber music musician. Her latest projects are with the Sonas Trio.

She gained the opportunity to play in many orchestra’s in the Netherlands, among others the Zeeuws Orchestra and the Metropole Orchestra, and the Dutch Youth Orchestra (NJO) during her studies. Besides she expanded her cello technique from the classical cello playing to the pop and jazz scene, in which she gained experience playing as principal cellist in the Jong Metropole Orchestra.

She is active in many collaborative projects, in which classical music is combined with other disciplines such as dance and visual art. This is where a big interest in new collaborations lies, and in which she organizes several projects herself.

Growing up in a musical family, Rachel started playing the cello at the age of 7. She gained her bachelor in classical cello at the conservatorium of Rotterdam (Codarts), with Herrejan Stegenga and Jeroen den Herder. Including an Erasmus program at the Liceu conservatori (Barcelona) with Angel Luis Quintana Perez. She finished her Master degree at the Fontys university of the Arts in Tilburg with Paul Uyterlinde.

Rachel had the opportunity to play on several instruments, among a ‘Rombouts’ cello build in circa 1642 (Amsterdam). She is currently playing on the former cello of Ernst Reijseger; a Dutch ‘Bolink’ cello build in 1984 (Hilversum). Her bow is given in lease by the NMF; a bow made by Jan Strumphler in Vleuten (2002).