Rachel Roberts
Rachel Roberts is the founder and Artistic Director of Pitchstone Music and performs internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed concertos with the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Cologne Kammerphilharmonie, Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden in Switzerland, and Manchester Camerata under conductors Christoph von Dohnányi, Richard Hickox, András Schiff and Lars Vogt.
In 2025 Rachel recorded Edward Gregson's Three Goddesses viola concerto, written especially for her, with the BBC Philharmonic for Chandos, nominated for an Ivor Novello Award. Rachel's chamber recordings have won three Diapason d'Or awards and received accolades from BBC Music Magazine, The Strad, The Times and The Guardian. Having held the post of Principal Viola with the Philharmonia Orchestra for thirteen years, and before that the post of Principal Viola with the Manchester Camerata for four years, Rachel is frequently invited to guest lead the viola sections of major UK orchestras. She has been a member of the Dante String Quartet, The Fitzwilliam String Quartet and has performed with The Tetzlaff String Quartet, the Medici String Quartet and the Carducci String Quartet.
She is now violist with the award-winning ensemble, Ensemble 360, and frequently performs with the Nash Ensemble and Wigmore Soloists. She is regularly invited to play internationally at chamber music festivals including Schubertiade, Schwarzenberg in Austria, Vienna Festwochen, Salzburg Festival, Heimbach ‘Spannungen’ in Germany, Delft in Holland and Horten Kammermusik in Norway. A passionate educator, she is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was Professor of Viola at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for 16 years.
Rachel lives in Leytonstone, London and is committed to musical access for all.
Faculties / departments: Strings
Contact
For enquiries please contact: