Rachel McClarty

Suzuki Violin

Email

Violinist Rachel McClarty has performed across the U.S. and internationally in diverse venues ranging from hospitals within the Texas Medical Center to the famed Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany. She has performed as an orchestral and chamber musician in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and China. In addition to an active freelance schedule, Ms. McClarty currently performs with New Texas Sinfonia, and also appears with the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Richardson Symphony, Waco Symphony, ROCO (Houston), and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. McClarty was a 2008 finalist in the Texas Tech University School of Music Concerto Competition, and has participated in several music festivals both abroad and in the U.S., including the Castleman Quartet Program, the National Orchestral Institute, the International Music Academy Plzn, the Great Wall International Music Academy, and the Texas Music Festival, where she served as principal second under conductor Rossen Milanov. Additionally, she has performed on master classes with Yair Kless, Sally O’Reilly, Charles Castleman, Elisabeth Adkins, and Lucie Robertt, among others.

Committed to engaging with her community, Ms. McClarty often performs for churches, and, in 2012, organized a chamber performance at the Ronald McDonald House in the Texas Medical Center. She continued to perform as a volunteer throughout the Texas Medical Center until her move to DFW in 2015. Volunteer performances in Dallas have included playing at the Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center.

Ms. McClarty is a 2011 Recipient of a Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship and also received multiple merit scholarships as both a graduate and undergraduate. She holds membership in the honor societies of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda. In addition to her instrumental work at the Moores School, Ms. McClarty served as a Graduate Assistant in the Music Literature Department. She was first introduced to writing program notes as a member of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, where she was offered the opportunity to produce a set of notes on Elgar’s Enigma Variations under the direction of then Dallas Symphony Orchestra program note writer, Laurie Shulman. Ms. McClarty subsequently wrote notes for a faculty recital of Dr. Kirsten Yon at Texas Tech University, as well as a chamber performance for ROCO (Houston, TX). A postgraduate internship with ROCO resulted in an administrative role with the orchestra, which she held for seven years, and she also served on the board of the Dallas Music Teachers’ Association from 2016-2020.

Her interest in teaching, and specifically in Suzuki training, was sparked by her undergraduate participation in the Texas Tech University String Project, which is a Suzuki-curriculum-based string education program for elementary-age students. Prior to moving to DFW, Ms. McClarty maintained a private studio of over twenty students in Houston, TX, and taught at the British International School of Houston. She currently heads the Suzuki Violin Program at The Covenant School in Dallas, and also maintains a private studio.

Ms. McClarty holds a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, where she studied with Dr. Kirsten Yon.  She also graduated summa cum laude from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Music in Performance. She studied with Jan Mark Sloman (Dallas Symphony Orchestra), has worked with Charles Castleman (Eastman School of Music), and has studied extensively with Elisabeth Adkins (National Symphony, Texas Christian University).

 

Return to Private Lessons Page