Dr. Rylie Harrod

Dr. Rylie Harrod grew up in New England and began studying cello through the Suzuki Method at the age of 5 after starting on violin at the age of 3. She received her B.M. with honors from the Royal Academy of Music, England, her M.M. from Arizona State University where she was the teaching assistant to Thomas Landschoot and her D.M.A from the University of Texas, studying with Josh Gindele of the Miro Quartet.

Rylie is a freelance performer and educator based in the Austin, Texas region. Rylie is currently the Director of the Young Artist Division of Texas Strings Festival, a one-week intensive string camp geared towards young string students. She is the owner and director of Harrod-Corral String Studio, offering private cello instruction for students ages 5+ and is also a regular Chamber Music coach for CHAMPS and Austin Chamber Music Center. A large part of Rylie’s hands-on teacher training was provided by the University of Texas String Project, where she served on the faculty for five years. She is currently the Principal Cellist of the Waco Symphony Orchestra and is also a substitute player for both the San Antonio Symphony and the Austin Symphony Orchestra. 

Rylie was a scholarship recipient and completed her Bachelors degree in Cello Performance at the Royal Academy of Music, London, UK. After four rainy years in London, Rylie moved to Tempe, Arizona where she was the Teaching Assistant to Thomas Landschoot while working on her Masters of Music degree at Arizona State University. While living in Arizona, Rylie was a regular substitute player for the Phoenix Symphony and the Tucson Symphony. College summers were spent at the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, and at the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado.

She greatly enjoys collaborating with musicians and artists from many different genres and walks of life. Next on Rylie’s calendar will be performing with DJ, songwriter and record producer, Kygo. She has most recently recorded projects with Third Eye Blind, local Austin folk singer George Enslee, and American Southern Rock group Whisky Meyer. Some of her favorite performances were getting to share the stage with Yo Yo Ma on multiple occasions, and playing with the band Guster, her long-time favorite alternative rock group from New England.

Her free time is spent hanging out with her dogs and husband, Moe-Bear, Pebble, and Andrew who is a professional violinist and the Assistant Orchestra Director at LASA High School. She greatly enjoys going to the gym and mountain biking, eating all the tacos Austin has to offer, and drinking (possibly a little bit too much) coffee!