Pianist Rachel (Jackson) Denger is an active performer and educator in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Rachel maintains a busy schedule performing at weddings, corporate events, private parties, and other special occasions. She manages an in-home studio of more than 30 private students. Her students have won local and international competitions and been accepted into collegiate level music programs on scholarship.
Rachel has taught as adjunct faculty for Butler University, and previously served on faculty as the Director of Piano Studies and Lecturer of Piano at Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana for several years. She taught both class and applied piano as well as Keyboard Literature, Piano Pedagogy, and Piano Accompanying at the collegiate level.
Rachel has performed as guest soloist and collaborative pianist in numerous venues in Ohio, Indiana, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas, Maryland, and Vienna, Austria including: St. George Lutheran Church, the George R. Brown Convention Center, Newfields, Indianapolis International Airport, Clowes Memorial Hall, Schrott Center for the Arts, Indiana Convention Center, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis ArtsGarden, Schuster Hall, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, the Troy Hayner Cultural Center, and more.
She has performed solo masterclasses for notable pianists including Jon Nakamatsu, 1997 gold medalist for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and Sean Chen, 2013 bronze medalist. In the summer of 2018, she was accepted as a collaborative pianist in the Vienna Summer Music Festival. While there, she studied with Hafez Babashahi of the Wagner Conservatory in Vienna, Austria. In the summer of 2017, she attended the National Music Festival on full scholarship as a collaborative piano apprentice under Professor Michael Gurt. Troika, the chamber ensemble in which she was pianist received alternate place in the MTNA Chamber Music Competition state division. Rachel's Sorelle Piano Trio was invited to perform a masterclass with Maestro Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.
Rachel's musical mentors include Kate Boyd and Jackson Leung. She holds a Master of Music degree in performance from Butler University and Bachelor of Music degree in performance and business minor, graduating with highest honors, from Wright State University.
Rachel has taught as adjunct faculty for Butler University, and previously served on faculty as the Director of Piano Studies and Lecturer of Piano at Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana for several years. She taught both class and applied piano as well as Keyboard Literature, Piano Pedagogy, and Piano Accompanying at the collegiate level.
Rachel has performed as guest soloist and collaborative pianist in numerous venues in Ohio, Indiana, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas, Maryland, and Vienna, Austria including: St. George Lutheran Church, the George R. Brown Convention Center, Newfields, Indianapolis International Airport, Clowes Memorial Hall, Schrott Center for the Arts, Indiana Convention Center, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis ArtsGarden, Schuster Hall, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, the Troy Hayner Cultural Center, and more.
She has performed solo masterclasses for notable pianists including Jon Nakamatsu, 1997 gold medalist for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and Sean Chen, 2013 bronze medalist. In the summer of 2018, she was accepted as a collaborative pianist in the Vienna Summer Music Festival. While there, she studied with Hafez Babashahi of the Wagner Conservatory in Vienna, Austria. In the summer of 2017, she attended the National Music Festival on full scholarship as a collaborative piano apprentice under Professor Michael Gurt. Troika, the chamber ensemble in which she was pianist received alternate place in the MTNA Chamber Music Competition state division. Rachel's Sorelle Piano Trio was invited to perform a masterclass with Maestro Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.
Rachel's musical mentors include Kate Boyd and Jackson Leung. She holds a Master of Music degree in performance from Butler University and Bachelor of Music degree in performance and business minor, graduating with highest honors, from Wright State University.