Welcome to my website!
I hope you enjoy the wide variety of services I offer!
I am a flutist and shakuhachi player and am an instructor on both of these musical instruments.
On the flute I play traditional western music from all eras and specialize in contemporary music from the 20th and 21st centuries, including free improvisation and extended techniques. My career as a flutist has spanned over four decades, and you’ll find links on my site to all my recordings and performances over the years. I’m based in the Los Angeles, California area, and currently teach at Pomona College. I was formerly a faculty member at California Institute of the Arts from 1987 to 2024. I perform and teach nationally and internationally and am available for lessons, masterclasses, and remote recordings. I’m available for everything remotely online through Zoom, FaceTime or Skype, so even if you are not in the Southern California area we can still work together. Learn more about my flute lessons here.
“Rachel Rudich’s flute purred, moaned, whispered and rattled through many mesmeric and sensual passages.” ~ The Village Voice
As a shakuhachi player, I perform a variety of styles of music from Japan: honkyoku, the traditional, meditative solo music; sankyoku, both the classical chamber music repertoire and folk music, with koto or shamisen; contemporary music written for shakuhachi more recently, as well as film score and game music (I can be heard on League of Legends). I appear in the Los Angeles and Southern California area in a shakuhachi/koto duo called Hana Hibiki, with Kozue Matsumoto. Kozue and I meld our love of traditional Japanese music with our expertise in contemporary and experimental forms. Our fusion of traditional, modern, and improvisational music creates an incredibly vibrant and exciting showcase for Japanese culture through music. I’m available for remote recording and teaching shakuhachi online through Zoom, Facetime or Skype, so even if you are not in the Southern California area we can still work together. I own a large variety of sizes (pitches) of shakuhachi, so can accommodate a wide number of ranges for your remote recording needs. Learn more about my shakuhachi lessons here.
“…extended contributions by Rachel Rudich on shakuhachi…at once inventive and atmospheric.” ~ The Los Angeles Times
I am also an Experienced Registered Yoga Therapist and Instructor (ERYT-500); an Advanced Pilates instructor; and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, with over two decades of experience teaching in these modalities.
My interests in movement, the body, and posture started at a young age with dance, and then my yoga practice began at age 15 in 1971, with Swami Satchidananda. Later on, I was very involved in triathlon and sport, and further down the road I became certified in Yoga and Pilates. I have meshed my dual interests of music and the body in a number of ways. I offer Personal Training, Yoga, Pilates, and Postural Analysis to individuals, as well as classes. I teach courses that fall under a general category of “Performance Health,” or as I’ve named it here in this website: “The Embodied Musician.” If you are a musician with pain, injuries, postural issues or illnesses that are impacting your musicianship, please consider calling me for a private consultation. Please browse my Embodied Musician menu here for more information.
“Rachel’s approach to teaching Yoga for Musicians and Anatomy for Musicians has highly benefited my practice as a music student. I’ve been able to build strength and practice mindfulness which has helped me achieve a stronger sense of flow during performances, recordings, and daily instrument practices. She is also incredibly thorough and accommodating with her students.” ~ Kristianne B. (college music student)
“Fortune was on my side when I found Rachel’s yoga class! As a little old lady, I realize the importance of flexibility and balance. Rachel challenges and encourages me. I can’t wait to get to her classes.” ~ Nancy Jones
“Rachel’s Yoga for Musicians classes are absolutely wonderful. She combines deep knowledge of Anatomy and the physical demands of musical performance, with her brilliant expertise in yoga to create something amazing for the body and soul.” ~ Charles B. (college music student)
“For my 75th birthday I gave myself Pilates classes. That gift has proven that you can teach an old dog new tricks. My body loves Pilates!” ~ Dee Cole (now 89 years young and going strong!)