Violist Rachel Ku joined the viola section of The Philadelphia Orchestra as the youngest member of the Orchestra in September, 2004, at the age of 19. She has been studying viola since age eight and piano since age five, and made her solo debut in Taipei in 1995.
She has since made solo appearances with the Witherspoon Chamber Orchestra, the Dwun-Hwa Orchestra, the Rice University Chamber Orchestra, and the Curtis Chamber Ensemble. In January 2005, Rachel performed Hindemith’s “Der Schwanendreher” as soloist with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra as part of the orchestra’s subscription concert series.
Rachel 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 rewarded 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, Peter Wiley, and Marcy Rosen.
Rachel 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.
