Composer Feature: Rachel Panitch

Happy Composer Feature Friday! This week, we’re spotlighting Boston-based composer and Juventas alum, Rachel Panitch!

Rachel Panitch is a violinist, improviser, composer, and teaching artist. She has performed Classical music with the Cardamom Quartet, as a dance fiddler with French Roast, and improvised with audiences as a part of Thread Ensemble (a trio of violins and vibraphone). She currently enjoys playing with singer-songwriter Phil Berman as part of Phil and the Flying Leap. 

Panitch creates participatory works for audience, vibraphone and violins, and specializes in teaching improvisation and creative music-making. She received her Masters of Music in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory. 

Rachel’s fiddling and compositions can be heard on a PBS Utah Bucket List episode, which was filmed during her 2014 residency in Zion National Park, as well as the National Park Service’s “100 Years of Arts in the Parks” video series. 

Some of her many residencies and fellowships include WK Rose Fellowship in the Creative Arts, META Fellow through Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Jubilation Fellow, a national award recognizing “individuals with an exceptional talent for helping young people feel fully alive through rhythm." 

Make it stand out

Our Juventas violinist Ryan Shannon and cellist Matthew Smith performing Panitch’s piece, “Sand and Snow,” at First Parish Sudbury for our Sounds of New England Concert this past winter. 

Did you miss our previous performances of “Sand and Snow”? Good news, we will be bringing this piece back to the Juventas stage at our 2026 Music in Bloom, as part of our new season, Journeys! Learn more about our upcoming programs and grab your subscriptions at https://www.juventasmusic.org/