Our Members

Rachael grew up in Troy, NY and began playing violin at age 8, studying privately and performing in chamber and orchestral groups at her local homeschool co-op.

During high school, Rachael participated with the Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) program in their String, Repertory, and Symphony Orchestras, under the leadership of Joseph Gumpper, David Beck, and Helen Cha-Pyo, respectively. She went on to volunteer with ESYO’s CHIME program in the Troy city schools and continues to assist with their annual Play-a-thon. At the end of her last year with ESYO, Rachael enjoyed performing as a guest violinist with The Piano Guys at SPAC in 2018. Rachael also participated in the College of Saint Rose Pre-College Experience, progressing from student to CIT, an experience that inspired Rachael to continue to emphasize music in her studies beyond high school. 

Rachael attended the College of Saint Rose, earning her BM in Violin Performance with a minor in Business Administration, followed by an MBA the following year. During her time at Saint Rose, Rachael refined her violin skills under the instruction of Jamecyn Morey, participated in the college orchestra and various chamber ensembles under the leadership Dr. David Bebe and Jonathan Brin, and studied composition and conducting under Dr. Bebe and Robert Hansbrough. Several of her works were premiered at Saint Rose, including Out of the Darkness for Winds and Strings, a string quartet titled I Am HE, and Closing Chapter. 

After completing college, Rachael continued to compose, recently releasing an album titled Melodies of the Living Word, which features works for solo violin, string quartet, and mixed instrumentation, followed by Strings of Mercy, for violin and cello. These are available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and other streaming platforms.

In addition to her ongoing composition endeavors, Rachael currently plays violin in church services, for weddings and other local events, and in local chamber and orchestral ensembles, serving as concertmaster in the Averill Park Community Orchestra. Rachael also enjoys spending time with family and friends, and utilizes her business administrative skills as a Universal Banker at M&T Bank.

Out of the Darkness, for Winds and Strings, Rachael Devernoe (2021)

As the world emerged from the depths of the pandemic shutdown in the spring of 2021, the College of Saint Rose announced that it was discontinuing most of its music department courses of study. For students and faculty alike, the months that followed this news were extremely difficult– physically, mentally, and emotionally. “To help overcome those feelings of darkness and despair, I decided to write something uplifting to which our whole orchestra could connect.” Out of the Darkness for Winds and Strings was completed that fall, and premiered at the College of Saint Rose on December 11th, 2021.

This work begins in D minor with dark and mysterious elements, with lighter themes gradually emerging out of the darkness as the piece progresses. The sonorities grow increasingly victorious, leading up to a joyous finish in D major. “We may be in dark times right now, but our hope is that with perseverance we will rise out of the darkness, and that everything will be better if we follow the light.”