BIO
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Praised by the LA Times as a “versatile violinist,” Rachel Iba is a Los Angeles-based musician, performance artist, conductor and composer whose work investigates the absurdity in our personal and political relationships. She regularly works within a diverse range of musical styles, including classical, contemporary, jazz, folk, and cross-cultural traditions.
Rachel is featured on numerous film scores and studio recordings, including collaborations with Amanda Palmer, Russell Platt, and Vinny Golia. She has been featured on NPR with world-folk band Primero Sueño, and performs with a wide range of ensembles including Wild Up, Synchromy New Music Collective, Vitamin String Quartet, and is the concertmaster of Bridge to Everywhere. She is also an accomplished baroque violinist, and has played with Jeannette Sorrell and members of Apollo’s Fire. Rachel is passionate about using art as a way to examine larger systemic imbalances. In her original work, she integrates music, standup comedy and clownwork to explore intersectional feminism, environmentalism, classism, and performance psychology. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, REDCAT, the Troubadour, Walt Disney Concert Hall, ArtShare LA, the Lyric Hyperion, and numerous other venues within the US and abroad. As an educator, Rachel is the Artistic Director of the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra. She has lectured extensively in music history and has appeared as an instructor and guest lecturer with organizations including California Institute of the Arts, Mount St. Mary's University, Ventura College, Longy School of Music, Santa Monica Youth Orchestra, Palaver Strings, Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra and is on the faculty of Kinhaven Music School. She is also a regular pre-concert lecturer for the LA Philharmonic, and her talks can be heard on the Upbeat Live podcast. She holds degrees from California Institute of the Arts and Oberlin Conservatory, where she was awarded the Marilyn McDonald scholarship and the Louis and Annette Kaufman violin prize in 2014. 
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Selected Recordings
STAND UP
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Rachel has performed in and hosted shows all over Los Angeles, most recently at the Troubadour, the Lyric Hyperion, the Clubhouse in Hollywood, and a bunch of hipster garages. Her work integrates traditional stand-up, clown and (sometimes) music to explore stuff like performance psychology, feminism, shame, pretension, and farts.
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TEACHING
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Learning an instrument can be a wonderfully rewarding challenge - like learning a language, it creates opportunities to communicate with others, but in practicing we also learn how to talk to ourselves.
I have worked with violin, viola, and piano students from age 4 to 70, and tailor lessons to the needs, personalities and priorities of each student. My teaching incorporates elements of the Suzuki method, Alexander technique, and yoga and mindfulness practices. My number one priority is to create a fun, supportive and nurturing environment where students can find joy in the act of making music (otherwise why bother, eh?). For more information on lessons and rates, please fill out the Contact form below. 
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PROJECTS
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© 2021 by Rachel Iba