Rachel Roberts is one of Europe's leading violists and performs internationally as a soloist and chamber musician.

As a soloist, she has collaborated with conductors Christoph von Dohnányi, András Schiff, and Richard Hickox, performing concertos with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden in Switzerland, and Manchester Camerata, among others. She was the featured viola soloist in the BBC TV documentary The Passions of Vaughan Williams, performing with Richard Hickox and the Philharmonia Orchestra. She has also appeared in performances of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with violinists Christian Tetzlaff, Antje Weithaas, and Benjamin Schmid in Germany, Switzerland, and London.

In January 2025, she recorded Edward Gregson's Viola Concerto – Three Goddesses with the BBC Philharmonic for future release on Chandos Records. Commissioned by the Presteigne Festival and written especially for Rachel, the work was nominated for the 2024 Ivors Classical Awards (Best Large Ensemble Composition).

Rachel enjoys a busy chamber music career and has performed at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Vienna Musikverein (Grand Saal), Alte Oper Frankfurt, Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall, St John's Smith Square, and King's Place London. She is a frequent guest at international chamber festivals including the Salzburg Festival, Wiener Festwochen, Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Spannungen Heimbach, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Oestertöne Hamburg, Lofoten (Norway), and Stift (Netherlands).

Rachel is the violist of Ensemble 360, with whom she performs regularly at Sheffield's Crucible Playhouse and throughout South Yorkshire. She appears often with Wigmore Soloists and the Nash Ensemble, and has also collaborated with the Tetzlaff String Quartet. Her chamber music recordings have earned numerous accolades, including three Diapason d'Or awards (2009, 2021, 2023), BBC Music Magazine's Chamber Choice, and CD of the Month in Germany's Fonoforum.

She has recorded for Hyperion, Champs Hill Records, Signum Classics, cAVI, Deutsche Rundfunk, Orchid Classics, and BIS Records. Her second solo CD with pianist Lars Vogt (Schubert, Britten, and Shostakovich, on cAVI) led to ongoing chamber collaborations with Vogt, Tetzlaff, Faust, and Weithaas across Germany and the UK.

In 2021, following a successful collaboration at Wigmore Hall, Rachel joined Christian Tetzlaff, Florian Donderer, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, and Tanja Tetzlaff to record and perform Schubert's String Quintet in C major, D. 956. The resulting disc was released on Alpha Classics to critical acclaim.

She is also a member of Trio Meister Raro (with pianist Tim Horton and clarinettist Robert Plane), whose performances explore themes of storytelling and fantasy through both familiar and lesser-known repertoire.

Rachel is Professor of Viola at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She holds a Professional Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher and Professional Education and has given masterclasses across the UK, Europe, and Scandinavia. Many of her students now enjoy professional careers in the UK and abroad.

(Photo by Kate Kantur)