Violinist Rafael Rishik started the violin at the age of 4. At the age of six he was one of the youngest students ever accepted to the Juilliard School of Music. While growing up in N.Y.C. Mr. Rishik also attended the famed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art. Upon graduation he continued his studies at Indiana University at Bloomington, completing his graduate studies at U.C.-Santa Barbara as the first violinist of the Graduate String Quartet-in-Residence. While at U.C.-Santa Barbara, Mr. Rishik had the rare privelage of being coached in a masterclass by the great Yehudi Menuhin. Mr. Rishik's principal teachers have been, Stuart Canin, Ramy Shevelov, and Sally Thomas. Mr. Rishik has participated in numerous festivals, including the Israel Chamber Music Festival,Carmel Bach Festival, Spoleto Fesival of Two Worlds, Meadowmount School for Strings, and the Music Academy of the West. Mr. Rishik has performed with Camerata Pacifica for the last seven years, and is actively involved with the Motion Picture Recording Industry in Los Angeles. He is a founding member of the New Hollywood String Quartet and performs on a rare Joseph Rocca violin.
