Rachel Flowers was born to Dan and Jeanie Flowers in National City, California. Born 15 weeks premature, Rachel weighed just one pound five ounces at birth, and unfortunately, she lost her eyesight at the tender age of three months due to retinopathy of prematurity.
Despite this significant challenge, Rachel's mother, Jeanie, recognized her daughter's innate musical talent and introduced her to music at a young age. At just two years old, Rachel began learning how to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the piano, and with her mother's guidance, she soon developed perfect pitch and the ability to play by ear every song she heard.
Formal music training commenced at the age of 4 1/2 when Rachel enrolled in the Southern California Conservatory of Music, where she studied piano, music theory, ear training, music history, Braille music code, and adaptive computer music applications. This rigorous training was further supplemented by courses at The Academy of Music for the Blind.
As Rachel grew older, her musical talents continued to flourish. By the age of 9, she and her family relocated to Ventura County, where she pursued her passion for music in middle school and high school. Rachel played the flute with the concert band and marching band, as well as the county honor band, and she also learned to play the saxophone and mallet instruments.
Notable achievements during her high school years include scholarships to the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Camp and Stanford Jazz Residency, as well as being a finalist for two years in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards, Jazz Instrumental category. Rachel also took home 2nd place and later the top prize in the Ventura County Student Jazz competition, and she received private instruction in advanced jazz improvisation through the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.
Upon graduating from Hueneme High School in 2012, Rachel was awarded the Semper Fidelis award for outstanding musicianship and the John Philip Sousa award.
Rachel's professional music career has seen her work in various genres, including jazz, classical, soul, R&B, and progressive music. She has shared the stage with an impressive array of musicians, including Dweezil Zappa, Arturo Sandoval, Taylor Eigsti, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Marc Bonilla, Jordan Rudess, Steve Porcaro, Rick Wakeman, Burt Bacharach, Bob Reynolds, Cuban legends Bobby Carcassés, Bellita Y Jazztumbatá, Orlando "Maraca" Valle, and The Santa Barbara Youth Symphony.
Rachel has also participated in the Stanford Jazz Workshop and has made featured appearances at various notable venues, including the Libbey Bowl in Ojai, California, the Clayton Piano Festival, the Blue Note Club in Honolulu, the 2016 Havana International Jazz Festival, and a Keith Emerson Tribute Concert in Birmingham, England in July 2017.
Throughout her career, Rachel has had the privilege of performing for legendary musicians such as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Herb Alpert, and Wayne Shorter. She remains an active part of several jazz lineups in California and is constantly composing original songs and works for orchestra, jazz combo, piano, and voice.
