Seventh grade cellist Rachel Broweleit has accomplished so much in such a short time.

Broweleit’s interest in orchestral music began to surface at The Harker School at the tender age of six, when Louis Hoffman, after-school instrumental program director, who studied alongside legendary television and film composer Henry Mancini, encouraged her to try her hand at various instruments. After taking Hoffman’s advice, Broweleit settled on the cello, participating in both the lower school orchestra and after-school music lessons. In time, her accomplishments on her instrument of choice became perfectly suited for solos, chamber music ensembles, and string and symphony orchestras.

Broweleit went on to join the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (PACO), an award-winning youth orchestra for regional string musicians of high school age and younger. She is now in her second year as co-principal cellist in PACO’s Sinfonia ensemble, which rehearses once a week at Cubberley Community Center. Most recently, she became a part of California Music Preparatory Academy’s chamber music program for musicians.

At just 13 years of age, Broweleit already has won several major international competitions, including first place at both the American Fine Arts Festival – where she gave a solo performance at Carnegie Hall on Valentine’s Day 2015 – and the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition. She then returned to Carnegie Hall for an encore performance on Easter Sunday 2015. She also was named the grand prize winner at this year’s United States Open Music Competition.

Now a proud participant in the middle school orchestra, conducted by David Hart, Broweleit says her early success is due in large part to her educational experience – and the dedicated, caring faculty – at Harker: “Dr. Hart has been a great encouragement, providing a really exciting atmosphere and creating opportunities for me and my classmates to explore our interests in music.”

What’s next for the bright young star? Later this year, Broweleit will perform “Kol Nidrei,” a composition for cello and orchestra written by German composer and conductor Max Bruch, at PACO’s Annual Concerto Competition, where she will be accompanied by her fellow Sinfonia members.