About FSQ: Rebecca McFaul, violin

The “freedom” and “brilliance” (New York Concert Review) of violinist Rebecca McFaul has fashioned performances that “glide through with a dancer’s grace”  (Charlotte Observer).   Founding member of the Fry Street Quartet, McFaul has toured North and South America, The Balkan States and Europe including Austria, The Czech Republic, France, Germany, and Israel as soloist and chamber musician.  Her collaborations with history’s great artists began at the age of 15 with Leonard Bernstein and continued with many others including Eugene Lehner, and Alexander Schneider. More recently Ms. McFaul has performed with luminaries Misha Dichter, Donald Weilerstein, Paul Katz, Joseph Kalichstein, and Wu Han.

As a principal player during her tenure with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, she performed under the batons of renowned conductors Pierre Boulez, Michael Tilson-Thomas, and Zubin Mehta and made a memorable concert appearance with Daniel Barenboim conducting Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 4 from the piano.  As concertmaster of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, McFaul has also enjoyed spending three summers in Spoleto, Italy, exploring the repertoire of grand opera.

Broadening her experiences and musical career as a freelance artist in Chicago, Rebecca was a member of Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues, touring internationally and releasing an album on the Gadfly label, on which she can also be heard singing back-up vocals.  During that time she was also a founding member and first violinist of the Gabriel Piano Quintet, as well as a sought after Baroque violinist appearing regularly with Ars Musica Chicago, and collaborating with internationally renowned violist da gamba Mary Springfels and harpsichordist David Schrader.

Originally from Wisconsin, Ms. McFaul received a B.M. in violin performance from the Oberlin Conservatory as a student of Marilyn MacDonald and continued her studies earning a M.M. in violin performance under the tutelage of Gerardo Ribeiro at Northwestern University.  Under the mentorship of Marc Johnson and Shmuel Ashkenasi of the Vermeer quartet, Ms. McFaul co-founded the Fry Street Quartet, receiving a “Rural Residency” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and invitations from the late Isaac Stern to perform at the Jerusalem Music Center in Israel, as well as make a Carnegie Hall debut on the Alexander Schneider Series at Weill Hall.  Currently on the String and Chamber Music Faculty at the Caine School of the Arts, Utah State University, Ms. McFaul performs on a Carl Becker Sr., 1926, and a bow by Nicolas Maire.  Rebecca goes to great lengths to attend Bikram Yoga classes whenever and wherever she can, and is passionate about the state of our environment and other issues of our time.

Send an email to Rebecca McFaul

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