Rachel Begley is a recorder player and historical bassoonist whose career encompasses performance, teaching, collaboration, and artistic direction. Originally from England and now based in New York, she performs throughout North America with ensembles including The Metropolitan Opera, Apollo's Fire, Tempesta di Mare, Bach Vespers, the American Classical Orchestra, Early Music New York, the Dallas Bach Society, and The Newberry Consort.
An artist of broad musical curiosity, Rachel's interests extend across a wide range of repertoire and performance traditions, and she can be heard on recordings of Renaissance and Baroque music as well as film and television soundtracks. A founding member of the baroque oboe band Symphonie des Dragons, she has also premiered solo recorder works by composers including Leonard Bernstein and Joan Tower.
Rachel holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Recorder and Early Music from SUNY Stony Brook and was a Visiting Scholar in the Early Music Institute at Indiana University. She is the Founding Music Director of the North American Virtual Recorder Society and has served as Music Director of the Recorder Society of Long Island since 1994. Throughout her career, collaboration has been central to her work, fostering musical partnerships that invite musicians and audiences alike to explore both the familiar and the unknown with fresh ears and with open minds.