Rachael Lemna

Rachael Lemna is a cellist, academic, and music educator. A native of Wheaton, Illinois, she began her music studies at the Wheaton College Community School of the Arts. Ms. Lemna received her Master’s Degree in Cello Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music and Bachelor’s Degree in Cello Performance and Music Theory from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she also earned minors in Dalcroze Eurhythmics and Suzuki Pedagogy. During her time in Cleveland, she became a registered Suzuki cello teacher through her studies with Pamela Devenport and Abbey Hansen. Her principal instructors have included Carol Ourada, Catherine Kuna, Dr. Melissa Kraut, Steven Doane, and Rosemary Elliott.

An avid performer, Ms. Lemna has collaborated with musical artists such as Zuill Bailey, Alon Goldstein, Yael Weiss, and Robert Morris, and received honorable marks in competitions such as the Cleveland Cello Society Competition, Heida Hermanns International String Competition, and Mondavi National Young Artists Competition. She has also performed at multiple music festivals including the Heifetz International Music Institute, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Sitka Cello Seminar, Brevard Music Center, and Meadowmount School of Music.

Ms. Lemna received a Professional Development Committee Grant from the Eastman School of Music and presented her paper, Strategizing the Female Body: Charlotte Moorman’s Sky Kiss, at the American Musicological Society NYSSL Chapter Meeting at SUNY Fredonia School of Music. She also presented her paper, Incorporating Organic Hearing into a Young Musicians’ Education, at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Music Theory Colloquium.

Ms. Lemna is an active music educator and has been on the faculty at the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, and School District U-46. During her time in Rochester, she earned her Creative Ability Development certification and grew a Suzuki cello studio at the Kanack School of Musical Artistry. She also created and led the orchestra program at the Webster Montessori School. Currently, she is the orchestra director at Franklin Middle School in Wheaton, Illinois. Her students at Franklin have performed at the IGSMA Division VII District Contest and State Festivals and received Division I and Superior ratings with High Honors.