B i o g r a p h y
Rebecca Karu is a spirited horn player based in the NJ/NYC areas. As an up
and coming performing artist, she demonstrates versatility in both her
musicianship, and as an educator within the music community. Along with being
an impassioned musician, Rebecca has an ardent devotion to artistic development.
Rebecca attended Montclair State University where she received her
Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance. During her time there she studied with
Jeff Scott, who has and continues to be a great friend and mentor. She played with
the Cali Quintet and performed frequently with them for concerts throughout the
area. She was also selected to perform a joint concert with Towson University
and Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland where they performed
Mahler's Symphony No. 2 under the baton of Julian Benichou. Rebecca continued
to perform in the orchestra, playing other major works like Tchaikovsky's
Symphony No. 5, Dvorak 9, Saint Saëns Symphony No.3, and ended her time at
Montclair on a high note as principal horn performing Mahler's Symphony No. 1.
Her studies have continued at The Mannes School of Music in New York City
where she completed her Masters degree in Music Performance in May, 2021.
She was a student of the brilliant soloist, David Jolley. She was an active part
of the Orchestra, playing Principal horn for works like Mendelssohn's Midsummer
Night's Dream, and was also orchestra member of the Opera production of Turn of
the Screw by Benjamin Britten in 2019. Rebecca is currently pursuing her DMA at
Rutgers University in New Jersey where she studies with Richard Deane and is an
active member of Rutgers Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and the
contemporary ensemble HELIX!
Rebecca was a four-time participant of the Imani Winds Chamber Music
Festival. She also attended the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in 2016 where she
placed into the top orchestra, and was a student ofAlexander Shuhan. In 2018, she
was accepted into the AIMS Wind Academy in Solsona, Cataluna, Spain and was
awarded the GREMI grant; a full scholarship to the program sponsored by GEMC Publishers. She then had the opportunity of performing the solo piece she submitted for the grant application, La Tarara by Juan Carlos Lax Santa, twice over the course of the festival. She was the first Wind Academy participant and the only American that year to win the scholarship. While attending the Academy, she studied with Scott Brubaker of the Metropolitan Opera.
Rebecca is the newly appointed Professor of Horn at Ocean County College in Toms River, New Jersey. Additionally, she is one of the founders of Brass Out Loud; a non-profit organization who's mission is to uplift and highlight underrepresented voices in the brass community. Through their annual workshops, year round panel discussions and BOLD Chats, Brass Out Loud aims to offer educational and inspirational resources to help form and create a better and more inclusive brass community.
Rebecca is a horn player for Opera Italiana in NYC; a concert celebrating Italian Opera works, held in Central Park midsummer in both 2018, 2019 and 2021 She played assistant horn for Scott Brubaker in 2018, fourth horn in 2019, and second horn in 2021 and 2022. Rebecca is formerly second horn with the Fairfield County Chorale based in Norwalk, CT and was guest Principal horn for Bravura Philharmonic based in West Windsor, NJ in March of 2023.
As an advocate for musician's health, Rebecca has her own blog entitled, Mind Over Practice: Integrated Perspectives on Health and Performance. Her blog addresses topics that range from Performance Anxiety management, to how to schedule productive practice sessions. She emphasizes the importance of prioritizing our health, mind, and general well-being as artists to then later enhance our performance abilities. She also holds a certificate in Essentials of Performing Arts Medicine from the Performing Arts Medicine Associate (PAMA) in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine. Rebecca is also a former member of PAMA. Additionally, Rebecca recently gave a masterclass on Performance Anxiety at the 2020 Urubrass Festival, a masterclass for Echo: Musicians Connect on How to Uncover Your Artistic Confidence in October, 2020 and a talk on Mental Health and Disabilities in the Arts through Odyssey in March, 2021.
