Biography
Rachel has recently completed her postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she was taught by Catherine Yates and Callum Smart.
As a soloist, her recent performances include Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Manchester Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2025, and premiering Nicholas Simpson’s Violin Concerto with the Athenean Ensemble in November 2024. Having had success in RNCM’s Concerto Competition, she was given the opportunity to perform with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra.
She has been a member of the Dovestone String Quartet since its formation in September 2024 and the ensemble has already performed a number of recitals in Huddersfield, Southport, and Portmeirion, and has been a finalist in several RNCM chamber prizes. Rachel also performs regularly with the Valette Ensemble, a chamber group with flexible line-up which is committed to promoting works by contemporary and under-represented composers, and had the privilege of playing with them at Wigmore Hall in May 2024.
Rachel is a dedicated orchestral musician, and alongside the varied projects she has been involved in at the RNCM, she is rapidly building a career as a freelancer, having worked with groups including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, North East Wales Sinfonia, and Piccadilly Sinfonietta.
Rachel Stonham appears by kind permission of the RNCM.