A musical couple returns to Chapel Hill to lead the school where one of them first found her voice.
By Becca Savidge | Photography by John Michael Simpson
When Rachel Hall and Dave Tedeschi moved from New York to Chapel Hill in August 2024, their lives changed in nearly every way: they had a daughter, ditched the big city for Rachel’s hometown and became the new owners of Chapel Hill School of Musical Arts.
Rachel, who earned her undergraduate degree at Appalachian State University before completing her master’s at Manhattan School of Music, always knew she wanted to return home eventually. But she met Dave, a percussionist and a member of the band Postmodern Jukebox, and they spent 16 years living in New York.
Her connections to the music school run
deep. When Rachel was a sophomore in high school, she started taking voice lessons from Sharon Szymanski, who cofounded
CHSMA with her husband, Rick Szymanski. “She was one of the reasons that I pursued music because she’s amazing,” Rachel says. “I didn’t grow up with classical music, and she was the one who was like, ‘I think you’re an opera singer,’ and it kind of hooked me.” In the years since Rachel left Chapel
Hill, the two always kept in touch. Rachel even worked for Sharon as a voice teacher one summer while she was in undergrad, an experience that confirmed her passion for teaching and helping others grow.
In late 2023, Sharon and Rick were contemplating retiring, and the pieces fell into place for Rachel and Dave to move to Chapel Hill. “The timing of it was just so serendipitous,” Rachel says. “We needed a change, and Dave was touring six months out of the year, which wasn’t going to work anymore [with having our daughter]. We knew we were going to have to shift.” They took ownership of the 25-year-old music school last summer.
Dave had spent nearly a decade performing on six continents in venues like Radio City Music Hall and the Sydney Opera House. His experience leading a large ensemble gave him the confidence – and the desire – to take on something new. “I love the drums, but I really just love supporting people and making sure they feel appreciated and valued,” he says.
Since becoming co-owners of the school, the pair have focused on creating a positive environment for its 30 teachers and more than 500 students. Learners span from beginners, especially in piano and violin, to those who have practiced their instruments for years – whether it’s brass, percussion, voice or others – and who want to continue to hone their skills. This range in instruction level makes having teachers with extensive skill sets important, and both Rachel and Dave recognize that when their staff are appreciated and creatively engaged, that energy trickles down to every aspect of the company.
Many of the couple’s early days were arduous and intense, but the effort reaps reward, and the two continue to give it their all. “When the work is something that you believe in, you don’t have imposter syndrome because it’s such a pure part of who we are and what we believe in,” Dave says. Rachel and Dave also credit much of their success to Rachel’s parents, who live in Chapel Hill and watch the couple’s daughter, Harper, now 15 months old, when they work long days or late nights.
Looking ahead, Rachel and Dave hope to deepen the school’s community connections while honoring everything that’s already been built. CHSMA recently partnered with Table in Carrboro to hold an end-of-school food drive, and in mid-June, they took a group of students to perform the national anthem at a Durham Bulls game. “We are standing on the shoulders of our teachers, and of Sharon and Rick,” Dave says. “Maybe five or 10 years from now, we can claim more of the victory, but in terms of right now, there’s a lot of hard work, but there’s been 25 years of hard work leading up to that.”
