Rachel Helleur-Simcock (b. 1980)[1] is a British cellist and member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.[2] [3] [4]
Born in Ipswich, Rachel studied cello at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and later in Berlin at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler". She finished her official training at the Berlin Philharmonic Academy. Helleur then went on to play as a guest musician with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. In 2009 she joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Since 2009, Rachel Helleur-Simcock has been a permanent member of the Berliner Philharmoniker, and was previously a member of their Karajan Academy. A portrait from the series "The Berliner Philharmoniker and their instruments" shows the musician in symphony concerts and at work with her string quartet. Helleur-Simcock also describes her 18th-century Italian instrument whose sound she associates with wood and honey.[5]