Bristol Academy of Music
Bristol Academy of Music, 343 Piedmont Ave., Bristol, VA 24201
About
Bristol Academy of Music offers Glee Club, Musical Theater, camps and events, group lessons, and private lessons. Students can take piano, voice, guitar, and ukulele lessons, and the program also includes an after school piano program and a Parents Night Out: Kids' Karaoke! event.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
Bristol Academy of Music was founded in 2019 by owner and founder Rachel Helton. Its mission statement describes a fun, modern learning experience that amplifies potential and inspires a lifelong love of music. The program offers classes, group activities, camps, after school programs, and other music experiences, including private and deluxe lessons that engage both casual and serious learners, play-along games for young beginners, and professional programs to accelerate potential music professionals. The environment is described as positive and encouraging, with a focus on making learning fun and building confidence for all ages, and staff experience in both performance and education is noted as providing balance and insight to students.
Owner and founder Rachel Helton spent 15 years as an operatic performer and 10 years as a music instructor for private individuals and several universities including ETSU, Milligan, Emory & Henry, and King. She holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music in vocal performance from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, has operatic credits including the title role in Carmen and Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, and has performed with Asheville Lyric Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Central City Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Undercroft Opera, and Indiana University Opera Theater. Her concert credits include Verdi's Requiem, Mozart's Requiem, Messiah, A Child of Our Time by Tippett, Vivaldi's Gloria, and Duruflé's Requiem, and she has been teaching voice and piano for 12 years to beginning and advanced students. She is an adjunct professor of voice at Emory & Henry University and was previously an instructor at East Tennessee State University, Milligan University, and King University.
Voice instructor Gabe Helton teaches private voice lessons at Bristol Academy of Music. He is a baritone with a Bachelor of Music in voice from North Carolina School of the Arts and further study in the Performer’s Diploma program at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. His operatic credits include the title role in Eugene Onegin and leading roles in Die Fledermaus, Faust, Der Rosenkavalier, Don Giovanni, Merry Wives of Windsor, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, La Boheme, Die Zauberflöte, and The Merry Widow, and he has performed with Brevard Music Center, Piedmont Opera, Indiana University Opera Theater, and North Carolina School of the Arts. His concert credits include Brahms Requiem, Mozart Requiem, Messiah, Bruckner Requiem, Berlioz Requiem, Saint-Saëns Requiem, Fauré Requiem, and Verdi Requiem.
Piano instructor Rebekah Rasnake Cash is a native of Abingdon, VA and is finishing her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education at King University, with piano as her primary instrument. She is the pianist for the Highlands Youth Ensemble of the Mountain Empire Children’s Choral Academy and the pianist/organist at Glade Spring Presbyterian Church (Old Glade). Piano instructor Eva Kling is a native of Abingdon, VA and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Music and Education at the University of Virginia's College at Wise, where she studied under Dr. Paul Volk, Dr. Michael Donathan, and Dr. Christy Lee. She has been teaching piano for seven years and serves as the Music Director and Choir Director of First Christian Church of Abingdon.
Guitar and ukulele instructor David King holds a degree in guitar performance from Florida State University and previously taught at the Thomasville Road Academy of the Arts in Tallahassee, FL. Staff member Olivia Brooks is a native of Bristol, Virginia, recently graduated from John S. Battle High School, and was heavily involved in the theater and choral programs there. She was an all state choral delegate for Virginia for five years and participated in John Battle’s choir, one act, and musical theatre program all four years, and she is a nursing student at Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon.
Bristol Academy of Music states that it offers community-oriented, engaging music education and a community for musicians of all ages to learn, inspire, and perform together, and describes its passion for mentoring students as an investment in the community’s future. The program was awarded the Ben Collins Entrepreneur Grant from Believe in Bristol in 2019. One parent testimonial notes that a student named Ella is learning how to sing properly as well as timing and posture and calls the place amazing. Another parent describes the staff as professional, caring, and extremely knowledgeable in their craft and says every experience with Bristol Academy of Music has been a pleasure, and a student testimonial says, “I wish I could come to music class every day!”
Last updated July 24, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
Bristol Academy of Music was founded in 2019 by owner and founder Rachel Helton. Its mission statement describes a fun, modern learning experience that amplifies potential and inspires a lifelong love of music. The program offers classes, group activities, camps, after school programs, and other music experiences, including private and deluxe lessons that engage both casual and serious learners, play-along games for young beginners, and professional programs to accelerate potential music professionals. The environment is described as positive and encouraging, with a focus on making learning fun and building confidence for all ages, and staff experience in both performance and education is noted as providing balance and insight to students.
Owner and founder Rachel Helton spent 15 years as an operatic performer and 10 years as a music instructor for private individuals and several universities including ETSU, Milligan, Emory & Henry, and King. She holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music in vocal performance from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, has operatic credits including the title role in Carmen and Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, and has performed with Asheville Lyric Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Central City Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Undercroft Opera, and Indiana University Opera Theater. Her concert credits include Verdi's Requiem, Mozart's Requiem, Messiah, A Child of Our Time by Tippett, Vivaldi's Gloria, and Duruflé's Requiem, and she has been teaching voice and piano for 12 years to beginning and advanced students. She is an adjunct professor of voice at Emory & Henry University and was previously an instructor at East Tennessee State University, Milligan University, and King University.
Voice instructor Gabe Helton teaches private voice lessons at Bristol Academy of Music. He is a baritone with a Bachelor of Music in voice from North Carolina School of the Arts and further study in the Performer’s Diploma program at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. His operatic credits include the title role in Eugene Onegin and leading roles in Die Fledermaus, Faust, Der Rosenkavalier, Don Giovanni, Merry Wives of Windsor, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, La Boheme, Die Zauberflöte, and The Merry Widow, and he has performed with Brevard Music Center, Piedmont Opera, Indiana University Opera Theater, and North Carolina School of the Arts. His concert credits include Brahms Requiem, Mozart Requiem, Messiah, Bruckner Requiem, Berlioz Requiem, Saint-Saëns Requiem, Fauré Requiem, and Verdi Requiem.
Piano instructor Rebekah Rasnake Cash is a native of Abingdon, VA and is finishing her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education at King University, with piano as her primary instrument. She is the pianist for the Highlands Youth Ensemble of the Mountain Empire Children’s Choral Academy and the pianist/organist at Glade Spring Presbyterian Church (Old Glade). Piano instructor Eva Kling is a native of Abingdon, VA and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Music and Education at the University of Virginia's College at Wise, where she studied under Dr. Paul Volk, Dr. Michael Donathan, and Dr. Christy Lee. She has been teaching piano for seven years and serves as the Music Director and Choir Director of First Christian Church of Abingdon.
Guitar and ukulele instructor David King holds a degree in guitar performance from Florida State University and previously taught at the Thomasville Road Academy of the Arts in Tallahassee, FL. Staff member Olivia Brooks is a native of Bristol, Virginia, recently graduated from John S. Battle High School, and was heavily involved in the theater and choral programs there. She was an all state choral delegate for Virginia for five years and participated in John Battle’s choir, one act, and musical theatre program all four years, and she is a nursing student at Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon.
Bristol Academy of Music states that it offers community-oriented, engaging music education and a community for musicians of all ages to learn, inspire, and perform together, and describes its passion for mentoring students as an investment in the community’s future. The program was awarded the Ben Collins Entrepreneur Grant from Believe in Bristol in 2019. One parent testimonial notes that a student named Ella is learning how to sing properly as well as timing and posture and calls the place amazing. Another parent describes the staff as professional, caring, and extremely knowledgeable in their craft and says every experience with Bristol Academy of Music has been a pleasure, and a student testimonial says, “I wish I could come to music class every day!”
Last updated July 24, 2026.
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