Rachel Byrt

LONDON HANDEL PLAYERS

Brought up on the west coast of Wales, Rachel studied viola at the Guildhall in London and Sound Engineering at City University. As principal viola of the Gabrieli Consort and Players since 1992, Rachel has toured Europe and the Americas, performed in major festivals and cities and recorded under the Deutsche Grammophon Archiv label.

She is indebted to the Purcell Quartet, having regularly performed and recorded with them for Chandos, alongside the stellar voices of Emma Kirkby, Michael Chance, Charles Daniels and Peter Harvey.

As a soloist playing the viola d'amore, Rachel has broadcast for radio with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales from St David's Hall, Cardiff.

She is a current member of Britten Sinfonia, based at London’s Barbican Centre. For the Britten Sinfonia Academy, Rachel has devised projects and performances drawing inspiration from both the Handel Autograph and Art Collections at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Rachel is principal viola with the Avison Ensemble and the London Handel Orchestra, and a guest principal with Les Siècles in Paris, I Fagiolini, Academy of Ancient Music, Aurora Orchestra and City of London Sinfonia.