Rebecca Gu is a versatile violist based in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood. Rebecca is a graduate of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where she received her Master of Music degree in Viola Performance in May 2016 as a student of Ivo-Jan van der Werff. Recent engagements in the 2018-19 season include performances with the Oistrakh Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, Paderewski Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic, Northbrook Symphony, and Millenial Chamber Players. Rebecca has performed with the festival orchestras of Spoleto USA (Charleston, SC), National Repertory Orchestra (Breckenridge, CO), and the National Orchestral Institute (College Park, MD) and was twice selected as a chamber music fellow with Garth Newel Music Center’s Emerging Artists program. Prior to moving to Chicago Rebecca was the founding violist of the Houston-based Terra Nostra Ensemble, a group dedicated to the promotion of music by Latin American and Iberian composers.
Rebecca enjoys sharing her love for music with her students and currently teaches private lessons in District 211, District 128, and her home studio. She is also on faculty at the Merit School of Music, where she leads group classes for the Music in Communities program. Previously, Rebecca taught private lessons with KIPP Sharp Houston, The Kinkaid School, and Katy and Seven Lakes High Schools in Katy, Texas.
Beyond music, Rebecca holds a dual degree in German from the University of Maryland and was an English language Teaching Assistant in Vorarlberg, Austria with the Fulbright Commission. When not teaching or playing her viola, Rebecca can be found cooking, taking long walks on the 606, and exploring Chicago’s many neighborhoods.