Rachel Lane, age 19, lives in Charleston, South Carolina. She is currently attending Winthrop University and is studying Music Composition and Technology. As part of her curriculum, she also participates in Choral and sang at Carnegie Hall this past May. Rachel began playing piano at age 7 under the tutelage of Dan McCurry. She immediately began doodling on the piano. Her doodling turned to composing, and she completed her first composition “Kitchen Waltz” when she was 13. Rachel entered the Charleston Sonatina Festival for composition from 2020 to 2023 winning her division every year with songs like “When Monsters Hunt” and “Café Americano.”  Rachel is a very active composer participating other competitions like MTNA Composition Competition, Piano Guild International Composition Competition, SCMTA Composition Competition, and NFMC “Junior Composers” Composition Contest winning their National Incentive Award. She also won the Piano Inspires Kids Composition Contest (16-18) for her fanfare “Triumph.”  Rachel also attended Brevard Summer Music Institute for Composition in 2023 and 2024, receiving the Fromm Music Foundation Scholarship in 2024, and SC Governor School Academy Summer Program for piano in the summer of 2021. Rachel has also had the opportunity to work with notable pianists and composers including Kevin Olson, Wynn-Anne Rossi, Mike Springer, Joe Clark, Micheal Flynn, and Charlton Singleton. Rachel likes to compose music that combines different genres to make a new sound like jazz and classical, or Irish folk music and opera. Her hope is to one day compose for video games, television, and film.