Rachel Franklin

Rachel Franklin for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Inside the Classics
2026-01-31 19:00 - 19:30, 2026-02-05 19:00 - 19:30, 2026-02-28 19:00 - 19:30, 2026-03-08 14:00 - 14:30, 2026-03-12 19:00 - 19:30, 2026-03-28 19:00 - 19:30, 2026-04-16 19:00 - 19:30, 2026-04-25 19:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) and 5 more dates | Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Ln, North Bethesda, MD, 20852, United States
https://www.bsomusic.org/inside-the-classics/

Dr. Rachel Franklin is delighted to be the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Strathmore Music Scholar-in-Residence. She gives all the BSO’s pre-concert presentations at their Bethesda, MD venue, Strathmore Hall as part of their “Inside the Classics” series.

Smithsonian Associates: Women Who Shaped the Musical World, Lecture 3 - Superb Salonnières
2026-02-02 12:00 - 13:30 | MD
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/women-who-shaped-musical-world

Throughout the history of Western music, men have claimed most of the spotlight and accolades as performers, composers, teachers, impresarios, patrons, and instrument makers. Less attention has been paid to the scores of brilliant creative women who played these roles—along with many others—and who were relegated to the less brightly lit corners of the musical word.
Popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin places them center stage as she examines their talent, grit, intellect, and drive, without which many of the most celebrated musical figures might have been significantly less successful, and the musical repertoire far less rich. She brings these women and their often-untold stories to life, showcasing them with live piano performances and historical and contemporary media clips.
British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.
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Mendelssohn’s great aunt Sara Levy ran her weekly salon in Berlin to perform the works of J. S. Bach publicly, commissioned new ones from his sons, and built an incalculably valuable library of Bach family manuscripts. The Italian-born Princess Cristina Beljiojoso used her glamorous Parisian salon to raise money for her country’s political exiles by dreaming up extravagant musical events for adoring pianist friends, who included Liszt and Chopin. The powerful connections, commissions, and sponsorships of avant-garde American heiress Winnaretta Singer, aka Princesse Edmond de Polignac, aided in the creation of major works by Fauré, Stravinsky, Poulenc, and others. Franklin drops by the grand houses where great intellects and artists rubbed shoulders—and glorious music was heard.

Smithsonian Associates: Women Who Shaped the Musical World, Lecture 4 - Women of the Ballet Russe
2026-02-09 12:00 - 13:30 | MD
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/women-who-shaped-musical-world

Throughout the history of Western music, men have claimed most of the spotlight and accolades as performers, composers, teachers, impresarios, patrons, and instrument makers. Less attention has been paid to the scores of brilliant creative women who played these roles—along with many others—and who were relegated to the less brightly lit corners of the musical word.
Popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin places them center stage as she examines their talent, grit, intellect, and drive, without which many of the most celebrated musical figures might have been significantly less successful, and the musical repertoire far less rich. She brings these women and their often-untold stories to life, showcasing them with live piano performances and historical and contemporary media clips.
British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.
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Serge Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe is venerated for its great male innovators such as Nijinsky, Bakst, and Stravinsky. But many of its most extraordinary artists and contributors were women. Nijinsky’s sister Bronislava Nijinska was one of ballet’s most distinguished creators, both as a dancer and choreographer. The avant-garde artist Natalia Goncharova designed groundbreaking costumes and scenery for ballets such as the Firebird and the Golden Cockerel. And the brilliant, charismatic heiress Ida Rubinstein braved incarceration in an asylum by her horrified family to become one of the most fearless modern dancers in Paris, acting, commissioning, and eventually directing her own ballet company with Nijinsky as her choreographer.

Rachel Franklin performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Washington Sinfonietta
2026-02-14 19:30 - 20:30 | The Washington Sinfonietta, PO Box 6740, Falls Church, VA, 22046, United States
https://washingtonsinfonietta.org/concerts

Smithsonian Associates: Coming to America; European Musical Artists Meet the United States, Lecture 1 - Beethoven Arrives
2026-03-09 12:00 - 13:30 | MD
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/coming-to-america

Beethoven never made it to America, but hundreds of important musicians and composers did. From early touring megastars like Paderewski—who traveled in his own private Pullman car—to successful refugee émigrés such as Rachmaninoff, America has been drawing renowned musical talents since well before its Declaration of Independence. Dvorák directed a music conservatory in New York; Korngold wrote scores for Hollywood; Tchaikovsky marveled at the warmth of American hospitality; and Schoenberg played tennis regularly with Gershwin.
In a unique course, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores the siren call of America to musicians throughout the world.
British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.
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Beethoven’s music made its American debut in an 1805 concert in Charleston, South Carolina, but the composer wasn’t there to enjoy it and never had the chance to visit the United States. Nonetheless, Beethoven’s revolutionary style of music and his evolution as an artistic icon would go on to permeate every aspect of American culture. As musical societies were springing up everywhere, Beethoven became the bust of choice on every music-lover’s mantelpiece. Works include the composer’s First Symphony, plus music by Thomas Jefferson, Charles Theodore Pachelbel, and delightful ballades, jigs, and emigration songs of the period.

Smithsonian Associates: Coming to America; European Musical Artists Meet the United States, Lecture 2 - Traveling Virtuosi
2026-03-16 12:00 - 13:30 | MD
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/coming-to-america

Beethoven never made it to America, but hundreds of important musicians and composers did. From early touring megastars like Paderewski—who traveled in his own private Pullman car—to successful refugee émigrés such as Rachmaninoff, America has been drawing renowned musical talents since well before its Declaration of Independence. Dvorák directed a music conservatory in New York; Korngold wrote scores for Hollywood; Tchaikovsky marveled at the warmth of American hospitality; and Schoenberg played tennis regularly with Gershwin.
In a unique course, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores the siren call of America to musicians throughout the world.
British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.
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Adelina Patti and Anton Rubinstein, Old Arpeggio and the Swedish Nightingale: Franklin dives into the entertaining mix of hucksterism and high art that characterizes 19th-century American musical entertainment as she follows various traveling virtuosi across the country as they astonish and captivate their audiences. While much of their earlier repertory has vanished forever from concert programs, these intrepid performers helped to glamorize classical music and laid solid foundations for the more discerning listeners of the future. Works include music by Gottschalk, Wieniawski, and Paderewski.

Smithsonian Associates: Coming to America; European Musical Artists Meet the United States, Lecture 3 - Building Legacies
2026-03-23 12:00 - 13:30 | MD
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/coming-to-america

Beethoven never made it to America, but hundreds of important musicians and composers did. From early touring megastars like Paderewski—who traveled in his own private Pullman car—to successful refugee émigrés such as Rachmaninoff, America has been drawing renowned musical talents since well before its Declaration of Independence. Dvorák directed a music conservatory in New York; Korngold wrote scores for Hollywood; Tchaikovsky marveled at the warmth of American hospitality; and Schoenberg played tennis regularly with Gershwin.
In a unique course, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores the siren call of America to musicians throughout the world.
British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.
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Many mighty European musicians and composers helped to build the greatest institutions of American musical life. Gustav Mahler served as the tenth music director of the New York Philharmonic; Serge Koussevitzky was music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Antonin Dvorák directed the National Conservatory of Music in New York City; Leopold Stokowski served as artistic director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and appeared in Disney’s Fantasia. Franklin reviews the significant contributions of European composers to musical life in America and how they continue to shape our cultural world today. Works featured include Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony and excerpts from the score of Fantasia, plus archival media of Toscanini and other early stars of the American classical music stage.

Smithsonian Associates: Coming to America; European Musical Artists Meet the United States, Lecture 4 - Émigrés in America
2026-03-30 12:00 - 13:30 | MD
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/coming-to-america

Beethoven never made it to America, but hundreds of important musicians and composers did. From early touring megastars like Paderewski—who traveled in his own private Pullman car—to successful refugee émigrés such as Rachmaninoff, America has been drawing renowned musical talents since well before its Declaration of Independence. Dvorák directed a music conservatory in New York; Korngold wrote scores for Hollywood; Tchaikovsky marveled at the warmth of American hospitality; and Schoenberg played tennis regularly with Gershwin.
In a unique course, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores the siren call of America to musicians throughout the world.
British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.
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In the early 20th century, Europe experienced a mass exodus of artists and musicians escaping the horrors of Soviet oppression and Nazi persecution. Among them were some of the greatest composers of their time— Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Korngold, Bartók, Milhaud, Schoenberg, and many others. Some of these composers struggled in a new world while others built brilliant new careers here. Each of them shared their genius with America and left an indelible mark on an evolving culture that welcomed and absorbed their great gifts. Works featured include excerpts from Korngold’s film scores, Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto written for Benny Goodman, and music by Rachmaninoff, Kurt Weill, and others.

Smithsonian Associates: Music Inspired by the Natural World, Lecture 1 - Earth: Its Creation, Seasons, and Landscapes
2026-04-06 12:00 - 13:30 | MD
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/music-inspired-by-natural-world

A painter can create entire worlds on a flat piece of paper. But where is a composer to start when seeking to represent the natural universe through sound? Centuries of exquisite nature-inspired concert works show just how well it can be done through direct imitation, allegory, and symbolism. Over time, composers have fashioned powerful musical vocabularies that guide listeners to see harmony as visual image.
In a 4-session course, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin uses her unique live piano demonstrations and fascinating film clips to explore how such masters as Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner, Vivaldi, Holst, Vaughan Williams, Saint-Saëns, and countless others composed beloved works that conjure the natural world.
British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.
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Franklin begins with perhaps the most greatly loved example of the natural world in concert music, Beethoven’s 6th Symphony, the “Pastoral.” Both allegorical and descriptive, it creates an entire earthly landscape of peasants and animals, harvesting, stormy weather, and golden sunlit fields. Following this triumph, other composers such as Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler led the way with further symphonic panoramas of mountainous and mystical terrains. Franklin also explores many representations of weather and seasons by Vivaldi, Rachmaninoff, Berlioz, Janácek, Milhaud, Barber and more.

Smithsonian Associates: Music Inspired by the Natural World, Lecture 2 - Heavenly Marvels
2026-04-13 12:00 - 13:30 | MD

Smithsonian Associates: Music Inspired by the Natural World, Lecture 3 - Creatures of the Earth, Sea, and Sky
2026-04-20 12:00 - 13:30 | MD
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/music-inspired-by-natural-world

A painter can create entire worlds on a flat piece of paper. But where is a composer to start when seeking to represent the natural universe through sound? Centuries of exquisite nature-inspired concert works show just how well it can be done through direct imitation, allegory, and symbolism. Over time, composers have fashioned powerful musical vocabularies that guide listeners to see harmony as visual image.
In a 4-session course, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin uses her unique live piano demonstrations and fascinating film clips to explore how such masters as Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner, Vivaldi, Holst, Vaughan Williams, Saint-Saëns, and countless others composed beloved works that conjure the natural world.
British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.
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The depiction of living creatures is one of the most delightful but challenging aspects of the composer’s craft. Is it necessary to attempt a literal copy of an animal’s call and, if not, what musical device could successfully invoke the sound? Such works as Dvorak’s “American” string quartet, Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals suite, Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending,” and Rimsky Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumble Bee” are among many examples in the enchanting menagerie.

Smithsonian Associates: Music Inspired by the Natural World, Lecture 4 - Water, Water Everywhere
2026-04-27 12:00 - 13:30 | MD
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/music-inspired-by-natural-world

A painter can create entire worlds on a flat piece of paper. But where is a composer to start when seeking to represent the natural universe through sound? Centuries of exquisite nature-inspired concert works show just how well it can be done through direct imitation, allegory, and symbolism. Over time, composers have fashioned powerful musical vocabularies that guide listeners to see harmony as visual image.
In a 4-session course, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin uses her unique live piano demonstrations and fascinating film clips to explore how such masters as Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner, Vivaldi, Holst, Vaughan Williams, Saint-Saëns, and countless others composed beloved works that conjure the natural world.
British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.
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Mighty oceans, torrential rivers, glittering fountains. Watery works abound across the concert repertoire. But how can music be wet? Can a composer ever truly recreate a sense of fluid motion? Voyage through the mightiest of seascapes, Debussy’s La Mer; marvel at Liszt’s electrifying portrayal of St. Francis walking on water; shiver on the stony beaches of Britten’s “Sea Interludes,” and delight in Resphigi’s sparkling images of Rome’s famous fountains. Also included are works by Smetana, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky.

Censored Voices: Silent No More - Preconcert Lecture
2026-05-03 17:30 - 18:00 | National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20016, United States
https://my.bsomusic.org/20520/

EGC Productions, in partnership with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, presents powerful chamber program featuring works by Russian composers silenced but who nonetheless produced extraordinary classical music.
The preconcert lecture at 5.30pm with Dr. Rachel Franklin, Strathmore Music Scholar in Residence for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, invites audiences into the stories behind the music—illuminating how each composer confronted censorship in their own time and responded with courage, creativity, and conviction.

Censored Voices: Silent No More
2026-05-03 19:00 - 21:00 | National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20016, United States

Rachel Franklin - Piano Recital
2026-05-09 19:00 - 20:15 | Cathedral of Peel, Isle of Man, 68C5+PGH, Derby Rd, Peel, Isle of Man
https://www.cathedral.im/news/rachel-franklin-piano-recital-saturday-9-may-at-7-30pm

Rachel Franklin was born in London and studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School, the Royal College of Music and the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore. A distinguished concert and jazz pianist, Rachel is now based in Maryland, USA, where she is Music Scholar in Residence with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She has given recitals in a number of international venues, including the Carnegie Hall, New York, the Jordan Hall, Boston, and the Wigmore Hall, London, and she has broadcast widely in the USA, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
We are delighted that Rachel’s recital on Saturday 9 May will be the inaugural concert on the Challen Piano, the gift of the Isle of Man Arts Council, which came to the cathedral in 2025 from its previous home at the Erin Arts Centre.
Rachel’s programme will include music by Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Kurt Weill and Duke Ellington.
Admission is free. The audience is invited to make donations towards the cathedral’s music programme.
