Education

Yuhudi Menuhin School of Music, England  A.R.C.M.  (1976)
Dip. Royal College of Music (1979)
Artist Dip. Rubin Academy, Tel Aviv University (1982)
DMA Peabody Conservatory (1995)

Bio

British-born pianist Rachel Franklin is much in demand as performer, music lecturer and teacher. As a Pro Musicis International Award winner, she gave her solo debuts in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York, and Jordan Hall, Boston. The Boston Globe enthused about her "beautiful differentiations of color, touch and texture" and described a performance on her solo debut CD as "not inferior...to the recorded performances by Cortot and Rubinstein." She has also given European Pro Musicis solo debuts in Paris and Rome. At the Wigmore Hall, London, where she has given several recitals, critics applauded her "stunning individuality," "exquisite dynamic control," and "amazing power and solidity of technique." The Washington Post has praised her "cool-headed bravura and panache." Following a widely acclaimed recent chamber concert with members of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Sun wrote: "Franklin demonstrated a flawless crystalline technique, and warmth and electricity in her playing."

As a soloist and ensemble artist, she has concertized in Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Israel, Canada and the US, and her chamber music recordings can be found on such labels as Sony and Sonoris. Among Rachel Franklin's many awards are top prizes in the Florence International Chamber Music Competition and the Louise B. McMahon International Music Competition. Her performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, on WQXR and WNYC in New York, WJHU in Baltimore, and Radio Telefis Eireann in Ireland. In addition, she has been the subject of a feature on National Public Radio's "Performance Today," with whom she has given frequent spoken broadcasts. She is doubly talented as an accomplished jazz pianist, having performed with many jazz ensembles, and she is the founder and artistic director of the classical/jazz chamber ensemble SONOS.

Deeply committed to musical outreach and education, Rachel Franklin also enjoys a busy dual career as a popular music lecturer, giving courses and pre-concert lectures for such venues as the Library of Congress, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Smithsonian Associate Program among others. As an extension of this work, she was recently awarded a prestigious grant by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland, to develop her unique new website, “Speaking Of Music.” This will be a form of video blog, featuring short films of Dr. Franklin discussing and demonstrating well-known pieces of concert music. It will be launched during 2009.