Rachel Johnston

A native New Zealander, cellist Rachel Johnston has performed as a soloist in Austria, Milan, Kuwait, Edinburgh, Belfast, Paris, Australia, England and the United States. She was awarded First Prize in her debut international competition - the Wettbewerb fűr Violoncello in Austria in 1998. Rachel has been awarded an Honours Degree in Cello Performance from the Canterbury University in Christchurch, Masters in Performance with Distinction at London University and an Artist's Diploma in Performance from the acclaimed Juilliard School in Manhattan. A member of the Australian String Quartet since 2006, Rachel has toured extensively throughout Australia and Europe, including performances in Far North Queensland and the Pilbara Region in Western Australia with soprano Fiona Campbell and performances with pianist Kristian Chong in China and Singapore. As a soloist, Rachel maintains a diverse calendar of concert commitments in Australia and abroad and has toured for Musica Viva and Chamber Music New Zealand, recorded extensively for radio and premiered works by Sofia Gubaidulina, Alexei Denisov, and Shawn Crouch.