With energy, imagination, and a passion for people, American conductor Rachel Waddell proves an unabashed advocate for the 21st century orchestra. Her leadership across the country demonstrates her innate ability to transform vision into action. Rachel believes by uplifting, celebrating, and reflecting the artistry of our neighbors, orchestras become the creative heartbeat of our communities. Through breathtaking collaborations and an untiring dedication to education, mentorship, and community, Rachel inspires transformative experiences and ensembles. Rachel serves as the newly appointed Director of Orchestras at Colorado State University. Previously she was the Director of Orchestral Activities and Assistant Professor with the Arthur Satz Department of Music at the University of Rochester in New York. The UR Orchestras gained recognition as a two-time national winner for the American Prize’s Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, they won international acclaim in collaboration with conducting colleague Tiffany Chang and Oberlin Conservatory through a digital performance of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, named Best Instrumental Performance of 2021 by the LIT Talent Awards. Rachel is also a popular clinician and guest conductor and has the privilege of working with AA Festival Orchestra in Helena, Montana, Pikes Peak Honors Orchestra in Colorado Springs, and Texas All State Orchestra Sinfonia, among others. She was also named a quarterfinalist for the 2024 Grammy Music Educators Award. Rachel maintains a busy profile in the professional and academic worlds. She has conducted orchestras around the world including the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Rochester, Las Vegas, and Fort Wayne Philharmonics, the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra (where she was a Music Director Finalist) and Cleveland’s Suburban Symphony. While serving as the Associate Conductor of the Canton Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, Rachel conducted over 80 performances of classical, pops, and education concerts. She has attended numerous conducting programs including the Dallas Opera’s prestigious Hart Institute for Women Conductors, and Mark Shapiro’s Conducting Intensive at Juilliard. In August 2022 she made her Vienna debut conducting Così fan tutte as part of the Vienna Opera Academy. In July 2023 she made her Canadian debut with the Orchestre Métropolitain, after being selected to conduct by Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Le Domaine Forget de Charlevoix. Rachel’s interest in the constantly evolving role and responsibility of orchestras within their communities led her to co-found Conductors for Change, Inc., a 501(c)(3) for anyone reimagining the future of the American orchestra. Rachel holds a DMA in Orchestra Conducting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a certificate in Music Industry Essentials from the prestigious Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.