Second Violin

In addition to her career as a violinist, Rebecca Cole has worked as a professional road-bicycle coach, the chief financial officer of a sports-event corporation, editor of a scientific journal, and has published many non-fiction articles.

Ms. Cole received a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University School of Music, studying violin with Franco Gulli. Mr. Gulli’s approach to music sparked her fascination with Baroque, Classical and Romantic performance practices. She received a Master of Music degree from Yale University, while spending summers working as editor of the FermiLab Physics Journal.

Ms. Cole began her orchestral career as Assistant Concertmaster of the Tulsa Philharmonic (and First Violinist of the Tulsa String Quartet). Moving to Los Angeles, she became a core member of the Long Beach Symphony, performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and L.A. Music Center Opera, and freelanced with many L.A.-area groups.

In 1990, she became a member of the Louisville Orchestra. While living in Louisville, Ms. Cole earned an Expert-level bicycle coaching license and coached with several local racing teams and the Win-Win Race-Event Corporation. In 2000, she joined the Nashville Symphony. She has served as musician representative to the Board Finance Committee since 2005.

For 17 summers, Rebecca Cole performed as orchestra member and soloist at the Oregon Bach Festival under Music Director Helmuth Rilling. In 1994, she played under Rilling at the Internationale Bach Akademie. She served as Principal Second Violin at the Peter Britt Festival for 12 of her 18 Britt summers, and was Assistant Concertmaster of the Oregon Coast Festival for three years.

In addition to playing in the NSO, Ms. Cole is a very active Baroque violinist. She has performed with Music City Baroque and the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra. In 2012, she participated in the American Bach Soloists Academy, the premier training program for Baroque musicians, after winning one of 10 violin positions. Her Baroque-violin teachers include Robert Mealy, Julie Anjdrewski, Marc Destrube (at the Vancouver Early Music Programme) and Jeanne Lamon (at the Tafelmusik Summer Academy).

Ms. Cole’s articles have appeared in Strings Magazine, American String Teachers Association Magazine, Kentuckiana Health and Fitness, Crank Mail and Extreme magazine. She and her husband (Nashville Symphony violinist Kenny Barnd) have one special-needs dependent, their smiley dog Klepto.