Rachel Ostler, Co-Concertmaster
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Eaton Chair
Colombian American violinist Rachel Ostler has performed in leading concert halls across the United States, Europe, Asia and South America. She has been a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 2020 and has performed and toured with ensembles such as The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony. A passionate soloist and chamber musician, Rachel earned top prizes at the Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition, the American Youth Symphony Young Artist Competition, the Parness Young Artist Competition and the Rio Hondo Young Artist Competition.
Rachel’s artistry has been featured at a variety of festivals and concert series, including the Lucerne Festival, Moritzburg Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Carnegie Hall and the Colburn Chamber Music Society. Her recent chamber music recordings with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra colleagues are often featured on Fred Child’s radio program, Performance Today, and she is presently engaged in a trial appointment as Concertmaster with Symphony San Jose.
A graduate of the Yale School of Music, where she studied with Ani Kavafian, Rachel previously studied at the Colburn Conservatory with Robert Lipsett and Arnold Steinhardt and at Brigham Young University, where she also pursued English literature. Rachel performs on a 1774 Antonio Gragnani violin.
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The facts:
I am originally from Miami, Florida.
What are you most excited for as you begin your time with the Naples Philharmonic?
One thing that struck me as I auditioned onstage was how good the acoustics felt in Hayes Hall. I’m looking forward to performing here regularly.
What is one fun fact about you?
My secret, random talent is that I am a really, really good foosball (table soccer) player. I wish it were a marketable skill.
What inspired you to become a musician?
My family, my parents, my teachers, but honestly mostly the music itself. The incredible repertoire for the violin that has been handed down over the centuries. So much of it is deeply moving, or phenomenally demanding, or just plain ear candy. I think that’s what made me want to pursue it.
What’s challenging about playing your instrument?
For me, the challenge is in the amount of factors that go into producing a beautiful, optimal sound. There’s the violin alone and all its internal acoustic anatomy, but then there are the strings and how their tension level along the bridge can affect the sound, and beyond that, there’s the bow, the curve of it, the hair, the rosin selected. And still beyond that, ultimately, there’s the human arm that draws the bow and really initiates the sound production—the way the arm, wrist and fingers move really creates the spectrum of tense, timid sound or lush, full sound. In short, there is so much contributing to a beautiful violin sound, which is lovely and incredible—and sometimes I can’t believe humans invented this thing—but that means it’s not always easy to isolate where the problem is when things are sounding off.
What are your favorite compositions?
To name just a few: the Allegretto movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, Mahler’s Symphony No. 9, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, Barber’s Violin Concerto and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé.
What have you been listening to recently?
Sibelius Impromptus and Yebba have been my most played recently.
Are there other musicians in your immediate family?
Yes! We grew up playing string quartets together. Most of them chose other professional paths, but we have many good memories from being so immersed in it together throughout our childhood and teenage years.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I love hiking with my husband and daughter, reading my way through The New York Times’ book lists, cooking with friends and family and playing tennis.