Rachael is a fiddle & viola player and caller living in Newcastle upon Tyne. She is a graduate of the Folk and Traditional Music Degree at Newcastle University, where she first fell in love with playing for ceilidh dancing.
She has recently founded her own band, the Blue Hat Ceilidh Band, playing a 5-string electric fiddle and sharing the calling with fiddler Robin Dunn, with whom she also plays in a fiddle duo. She assists with the running of a community ceilidh band, the Redheughers Ceilidh Band, and plays & calls every month for her local dance club, Tyneside Ceilidh Nights.
As well as performing, Rachael teaches fiddle and is a sound artist and composer. She is also a keen crafter, selling her handmade products at local craft fairs.
Rachael has been leading the music at weekend folk camps for the last few years and has particularly enjoyed arranging tunes for the music workshops in a way that aims to make them accessible and inclusive for every participant.