Meet our SWMS Alumni

Rachel Stonham
Violin

Rachel is currently in her final year as a Masters student at the Royal Northern College of Music,
and is rapidly building a promising career as a violinist.

She has performed concertos with groups across Manchester, including the Amaretti Chamber
Orchestra, Athenean Ensemble, and Manchester Philharmonic Orchestra. She will also be
performing with the RNCM orchestra next year, having won their concerto competition in January.

Her chamber group, the Dovestone String Quartet, has reached the finals of multiple RNCM prizes
and are looking forward to attending the Lake District Summer Music Festival academy in August.
Rachel is also a regular performer with the Valette Ensemble, a chamber group with flexible line-up
which is committed to promoting works by contemporary and under-represented composers, and
had the privilege of playing with them at Wigmore Hall in May 2024.

As an orchestral musician, Rachel has freelanced for groups including the Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra, North East Wales Sinfonia, and City of Stoke Symphony Orchestra, and
took part in the BBC Philharmonic Professional Experience Scheme in 2023.