I have included a short bio, for use in concert programs, and a longer one, which gives more detail.
Short bio
Rachel Begley performs as a soloist and with ensembles across North America, and has been hailed for her virtuosic and sensitive playing on both recorders and historical bassoons. Recent performing highlights include Utrecht Early Music Festival Fringe, Boston Early Music Festival Fringe, Connecticut Early Music Festival, Mercury Baroque, Alba, Clarion Society, Early Music New York, American Classical Orchestra, and The Play of Daniel at The Cloisters. She is a founding member of two new ensembles, the chamber music group Fire & Folly and the oboe band Symphonie des Dragons, both of which have already garnered both audience and critical acclaim. Though her musical focus is currently in early music, she has premiered solo works for recorder by such luminaries as Leonard Bernstein and Joan Tower, and was recorded as part of the soundtrack for “Casanova”.
A native of England, she holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in recorder and early music from SUNY Stony Brook, and teaches at festivals and workshops in both the US and Europe. In 2010/11, she was a Visiting Professor of Recorder at Indiana University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Queens College (CUNY). She has been Music Director for the Recorder Society of Long Island since 1994.
Long bio
Hailed for her sensitive and virtuosic playing on both recorders and historical bassoons, Rachel Begley performs across North America as both a soloist and ensemble player. As an orchestral and stage musician, she plays music from the 12th to the 21st centuries, including choral and orchestral works, plays and operas, with such ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, New York City Opera, Clarion Society, New York Collegium, Bach Sinfonia, Mercury Baroque, Arcadia Players, Concert Royal, Clarion Society, Aradia, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Opera in Concert, Trinity Choir and Baroque Orchestra, and The Play of Daniel at the Cloisters. She has made numerous festival appearances, as both soloist and orchestral player, including Amherst Early Music Festival, Boston Early Music Festival Fringe, Berkeley Early Music Festival Fringe, Utrecht Festival voor Oude Muziek Fringe, Connecticut Early Music Festival, Greenwich Music Festival, Montreal Baroque Festival, and the Berkshire Choral Festival.
Rachel is passionate about playing chamber music, and enjoys performing with a wide range of smaller ensembles, including recorder consorts, trio sonatas, ensembles featuring voices, continuo groups, and oboe band. She is a founding member of Fire and Folly, Sympatica and the New Amsterdam Recorder Trio (NewART), all of which have garnered critical acclaim. Other chamber ensembles with which she has had the pleasure of playing include Symphonie des Dragons (dir. Gonzalo Ruiz), Long Island Baroque Ensemble, Philomel, Flying Forms, Tarantella, Scaramella, and Early Music New York.
Her performances as a soloist include appearances with Early Music New York, Bronx Arts Ensemble, Great Music at St Barts, Riverside Orchestra, Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy, Long Island Baroque Ensemble and the Philharmonia Virtuosi, as well as at the Berkeley Early Music Festival Fringe, Boston Early Music Festival Fringe, St Marks Concert Series, and the Baroque Sundays at Three Series. She has been broadcast live on national radio, including solos on BBC Radio and NPR, and she can be heard on recordings on the Gothic, Ex Cathedra, and Hollywood labels.
While much of her professional life involves solo roles, she gains the greatest satisfaction from playing continuo lines, either on baroque bassoon or dulcian. In addition to being considered an early music specialist, she is also committed to the music of our time, and has premiered solo works featuring solo recorder by such luminaries as Leonard Bernstein and Joan Tower, as well as performing numerous contemporary works in a variety of styles.
Rachel was born and educated in England, gaining a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Birmingham prior to moving to the US. In addition to her studies as a visiting scholar at the Early Music Institute at Indiana University, she also holds both a Master of Music degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in recorder and early music from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She has taught at a number of different institutions, as well as maintaining a private studio. For 2010-11, she was Visiting Professor of recorder at Indiana University and Adjunct Assistant Professor in recorder at Queens College (CUNY). She has held the position of Music Director for the Recorder Society of Long Island since 1994.
In addition to her work as a performer and teacher, Rachel is an accomplished administrator, directing workshops for recorder players and for baroque bassoonists, and two concert series. She writes articles and reviews for the recorder community, and her arrangements and pedagogical materials have received international recognition. She lives with her family on Long Island, New York, and, when not making music, would rather be in the mountains.