Rachel Ku

Mmus (New England Conservatory), Bmus (Curtis Institute of Music)

Violist Rachel Ku joined the viola section of the Philadelphia Orchestra as the youngest member of the Orchestra in 2004 at the age of 19. She has been studying the viola since the age of eight and piano since the age of five. She has made solo appearances with the New Jersey Chamber Orchestra, Mansfield Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, Rice University Chamber Orchestra, and the Curtis Chamber Ensemble. In 2005, Ms. Ku performed Hindemith’s “Der Schwanendreher” as soloist with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra as part of the orchestra’s subscription concert series.

Ms. Ku has received several awards and honors, including first prize in the 2004 Delaware Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition and second prize in the 2002 Riverside Symphonia Caprio Young Artists Competition. She was awarded first prize at the 1997 Taiwan National Viola Competition, as well as second prize and fifth prize in the 1996

Taiwan National Viola and Piano competitions, respectively. During the summers, she has participated in numerous music festivals such as Marlboro, Sarasota, Kneisel Hall, Taos, Angel Fire, International Music Festival in Saluzzo, Italy, and Encore School for Strings. She has collaborated as a chamber musician with such artists as Kim Kashkashian, Steven Isserlis, Julian Rachlin, Chantal Juillet, David Kim, Arnold Steinhardt, and Marcy Rosen. Ms. Ku graduated with a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory, studying with Kim Kashkashian, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music as a student of Joseph dePasquale. In recent years, she has presented masterclasses at Rice University, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Oklahoma State University, and the Philadelphia International Music Festival. In addition to teaching private lessons, she is also an adjunct faculty member at Cairn University and Temple University.