Rachel Stegeman

Morpheus Ambassador

Titanic, Jurassic Park, Shawshank Redemption, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Pixar’s Toy Story (1,2,3), and the list goes on. If you’ve ever been to the movies, you’ve likely heard Rachel Stegeman.

A native of Washington DC, Rachel Robinson Stegeman began her violin studies at age 8. She studied with William Steck, concertmaster of the National Symphony. She performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with this orchestra in her debut as soloist.  While establishing herself in the DC area in 1984-1989, she performed with the National Symphony and Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, performed in a string quartet at the White House, traveled to Rome to perform for the Pope, and later won orchestral auditions that led her to California, both with the Pacific and Sacramento Symphonies.

After relocating in 1989 and accepting a principal position in the Pacific Symphony in Southern California, she gradually became one of the most sought-after violinists in the recording industry, performing on sessions in the motion picture industry, as well as the television and record industries. She was also hired as a substitute in the Los Angeles Philharmonic for concerts and tours. Shortly thereafter, she won the position as Assistant Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the position of Assistant Concertmaster of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. While in Los Angeles, Ms. Stegeman performed in many live broadcasts and taped television work, for shows such as Jay Leno, Craig Kilborn, various local news programs, Days of Our Lives, the American Music Awards, VH-1 Awards, E.T. 50th Anniversary Live with Steven Spielberg and John Williams, and several years of The Academy Awards as an orchestral member.

As a full-time employed studio violinist, she performed in over 550 major motion picture soundtracks, 80 television shows, 300 records, as well as commercials for television, live performances broadcast on the radio, and other live concerts. She has recorded many genres of music including classical music, chamber music, jazz, pop, R&B, contemporary jazz, easy listening, rock & roll, heavy metal, and movie soundtracks for over 100 labels worldwide.

In 2002, Ms. Stegeman joined the faculty at Duquesne University, serving as Adjunct Professor in Applied Violin, Orchestral Literature and Repertoire, and Chamber Music. She is currently Concertmaster of both the Youngstown Symphony and Wheeling Symphony.