Emerging Artist Spotlight | Rabia Brooke

As Cedille approaches the semifinal and final rounds of its Emerging Artist Competition on May 17 and 18, 2025, we’re taking this opportunity to introduce you to the very talented artists participating in this year’s event!

Known for her passion and sincere artistry that has captivated audiences worldwide, Rabia has “. . . created that magical moment with the audience and shared her very personal interpretation, precise, and clear.” (ART LINK, Zagreb, Croatia, Dec 2024). She is equally at home as a solo, chamber, and orchestral player, and has collaborated with some of today’s most compelling musical voices including commissioning projects with Jennifer Higdon, Clarice Assad, Chen Yi, Shawn E. Okpebholo, Stacy Garrop, and Mischa Zupko, among others. Ms. Brooke has appeared in the great halls of Eastern Europe (Bohuslav Martinů Hall, Prague; Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw; Solti Hall, Budapest; Penderecki Academy, Krakow; Zagreb Academy of Music; and Palata Madlena, Belgrade), Carnegie’s Weill Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, and at the Ravinia Festival. Rabia’s chamber music collaborations include Rachel Barton Pine, Black Oak Ensemble, the Formosa Quartet, and Fifth House Ensemble. Ms. Brooke is a laureate of numerous competitions, including the Cooper International, Fischoff National Chamber Competition, and Musicians Club of Women, where she won the Farewell Trust Award. She has been a frequent live performer on WFMT and has appeared at the Kronberg, Aspen, and Orford Music Festivals, among many others.

Learn more about Rabia through the video interview and transcription below.

When did you fall in love with classical music?

My household was always a musical environment. My mom is a mezzo soprano and my father is a computer scientist. Music was always in our house, and I think the I love the violin because there is, in my opinion, no instrument that is closer to the human voice.

What made you want to become a professional musician?

I knew that I wanted to become a violinist at the age of two. I went to a concert. There was a famous fiddle player performing in Chicago, and I was immediately captivated. And so my mom made me a cardboard violin. I was able to play on that before getting a real one.

What are your other musical pursuits?

In addition to the violin, I’m also a pianist, having started at age four. I’ll also be soon starting viola. When I was 22 years old, I first discovered the joy of working with a living composer and what the process is like of commissioning a new work. Last year in October, I started a new concert series along with Desirée Ruhstrat called Nova Linea Musica and it is dedicated to the performance of works written after 1915.

Tell us about the album you would like to create with Cedille Records.

I would like to make an album because I have so much to say on my violin. It can serve as a global calling card of a unique voice that I have been developing over the past 20 years. This album would focus on probably championing woman composers, my first ever collaboration with with Clarice Assad. When people listen to my album, I hope they realize what a joy it is to be able to collaborate with contemporary composers.