Born into a musical London family, Rachel Isserlis (granddaughter of Julius Isserlis) started playing at an early age and soon developed a great love for chamber music. She studied at the Royal College of Music with the Czechoslovakian violinist Taroslav Vanacek, where she won prizes and an exhibition andcontinued her studies in Dusseldorf and Amsterdam with the former leader of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Hermann Krebbers. After a period as principal second violin in Kent Opera, conduc- ted by Roger Norrington, she became the leader of English Touring Opera and also spent several summers leading the festival opera orchestra Musica nel Chiostro in Tuscany. Whilst still studying, Rachel became interested in period instruments and worked with all the major English groups in this field, as well as the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. She is a founder member of the Orchestra of the Enlightenment, with whom she has played asprincipal second violin at Glyndebourne and Covent Garden and worked under such conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Charles Mackerras and Iván Fischer. She performed Handel's Violin Sonatas for Irish televi- sion, recorded Locatelli's Trio Sonatas with Elizabeth Wallfisch on the Hyperion label and played for the BBC Radio 3 series The Early Music Show. Rachel is a founder member of Divertimentiwith whom she has enjoyed many years of concerts, broadcasts and recordings