Rachel Niketopoulos
Rachel Irene Niketopoulos joined the North Carolina Symphony in 2005 as Fourth horn. Prior to coming to Raleigh, she served as Second horn in the Virginia Symphony in Norfolk for 7 years. She and her husband Chris Caudill (also a horn player in the NCS) have a passionate interest in playing the early horn - the valveless horn of Mozart's time. They both play copies of early 19th-century natural horns made in Paris. In January, they will perform and record Bach on their baroque horns with the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra.
A native of Iowa, she loves living, playing, and teaching in North Carolina. In addition to her musical interests, Rachel has been a certified instructor of the Alexander Technique for over 10 years. She took a sabbatical from the orchestra last season in order to further her studies in mindfulness and anatomy. She has presented workshops in the Alexander Technique to groups of high school and college students at many schools across North Carolina including UNC - School of the Arts, App State, and UNC-G. Last year, she became involved with a volunteer program at the Raleigh Correctional Center for Women called Jobstart. She is currently mentoring and teaching female inmates stress-reduction techniques. Rachel also teaches anatomy and Alexander Technique to aspiring yoga teachers at Mindbody Centering Yoga in Durham.
