Musician Bio

Rachel Martin, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joined the Indianapolis Symphony Bass section in 2026. Before this, she served as Principal Bass of the Lexington Philharmonic for two seasons. Rachel has also performed with orchestras across the country including the Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and the St. Louis Symphony.

In addition to orchestral playing, Rachel is an active soloist and chamber musician. In 2025, she appeared with the Lexington Philharmonic to perform Tan Dun’s Wolf Totem bass concerto. She will perform this piece again in Plano, Texas in 2026. In the summer of 2025, she attended the prestigious YellowBarn chamber music festival.

Rachel began studying bass at age eight under the guidance of Pittsburgh Symphony members Peter Guild and Betsy Heston. She holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she studied with Timothy Pitts. During her summers, she has performed across Europe, Central America, and East Asia. She has also participated in renowned festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, and Spoleto Festival USA.

A passionate advocate for expanding the double bass repertoire, Rachel enjoys composing and arranging works for solo bass and bass ensembles. Outside of music, Rachel enjoys yoga, baking, sewing, painting, or anything creative she can get her hands on!