Rachel Dirks, Director of Orchestral Studies at Kansas State University, is an active conductor, clinician, researcher, and educator. In addition to her work with the K-State Orchestra Division, she teaches graduate and undergraduate string education and conducting courses. She has collaborated with orchestras throughout the United States, most recently in New York, Georgia, Hawaii, Colorado, and California. As a featured clinician and educator, she has presented her research for numerous music education conferences within the United States and Europe.

A Kansas native, Dirks holds cello performance degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Bethel College, and a Ph.D. in music education, with an emphasis in orchestral conducting, from the University of Kansas. Her current research surrounding the mental wellbeing of music students and teachers is published in numerous books, periodicals, and online resources. She continues to merge her research interests throughout all of her projects, and currently serves as a wellness liaison for the national board of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). Throughout her experiences as a conductor and educator, her fundamental goal is to encourage musicians to seek and create community through music.