Growing up on the South Shore of Boston, MA, Rachel O’Connor began her musical journey on the violin at the age of five. At the beginning of high school, she started learning the viola in addition to the violin and performed with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras on viola for four years. She doubled-majored in violin performance and mathematics at Gordon College for her undergraduate degree, where she was privileged to travel to Ukraine, Hong Kong and South Korea for string chamber music outreach tours. Rachel then received her master’s degree in viola performance at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. At UMass, Rachelwas part of the String Quartet Program, where she received a teaching assistantship. From 2022-2024, Rachel was the violist of the Rose Quartet, the graduate string quartet in residence at Montclair State University, where she graduated with her artist diploma. The Rose Quartet performed numerous recitals around New Jersey, New York, Florida and Vermont, many community engagement programs in collaboration with the non-profit Music for All Seasons, and exciting collaborations with Caroline Shaw, Rhiannon Giddens, Harlem Quartet, Cavani Quartet, Time for Three and more. Currently, Rachel teaches strings at Montclair Kimberley Academy as well as freelance performing. Outside of music, Rachel enjoys going on walks, playing card games, shopping at thrift stores, and going to amusement parks!
