Rachel Harding Klaus

Asst Concertmaster

Born in Chicago, twenty-eight-year-old violinist Rachel Klaus earned her bachelor of music and masters degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she has been awarded by the faculty both the coveted Joseph and Elsie Scharff Prize in Violin and the Dr. Jerome Gross Prize. In June of 2005, Rachel was a prizewinner in the International Irving M. Klein String Competition, and was the grand prize winner of the Corpus Christi International String Competition. She was also a top prize winner in the Stulberg and Kingsville International String Competitions. In the fall of 2004, she won the concerto competition at the Cleveland Institute and performed the Bartok Concerto with the CIM Orchestra. Previous teachers have included Michael Avesharian, Steven Shipps, and David and Linda Cerone.

Rachel has performed as soloist with the Kalamazoo Symphony, Corpus Christ Symphony and the Asheville Symphony. In addition, she has won first place in numerous string and young artist competitions, including the American String Competition of Michigan (Junior and Senior divisions), Birmingham- Bloomfield, Rochester, Zerounian, and Jean Hoffman String Competition as well as the Schoolcraft College Music Competition and the Birmingham Musical. As a violinist in the Harding trio, the trio has been a top prize winner in both the junior and senior divisions of the National Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, Coleman Chamber Competition, and the Asta Chamber Music Competition in Michigan. The Trio has been invited to perform many concerts throughout the United States. The trio was awarded the Bennet Levine Memorial Award in Chamber Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Most recently, Rachel won a position with the Colorado Symphony as the Assistant Concertmaster.