Music and Musicians

Musician Biography

Rachael Skidmore

Rachael Skidmore was born and raised near Huntsville, Alabama. From the influence of Panoply (an annual arts festival in Huntsville), she developed an interest in violin at age six and began taking lessons at age seven. Since then, her love for music has taken her on many journeys.

Rachael loves to travel and has shared her music in at least seven different countries. While classical music is very important to her, she also likes bluegrass and has competed at many bluegrass festivals around the southeast. As a senior in high school, Rachael competed in the Alabama Junior Miss scholarship program and won the overall talent division at the state level. She also enjoys playing with various church bands in the area.

A 2009 graduate of Lee University, Rachael earned a bachelor’s degree in violin performance. While at Lee, she studied violin and viola with Xiaoqing Yu. She was named Presser Scholar in 2008, served as concertmaster of the Lee University Symphony Orchestra, and was invited by audition to play in the Lee University Honor’s Recital four consecutive years. During a semester as an exchange student to Russia, she studied under Lilia Lukyanenko, professor of violin at the Nizhni Novgorod Conservatory of Music.

Currently, Rachael performs with both Chattanooga Symphony & Opera and Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, and teaches around 30 private violin students at various locations including Cadek Conservatory.