Sweet Sounds of Wood Harbor Music
Published June 2026
Meet Rachel J. Burckardt (center, in red), the composer behind Wood Harbor Music. Wood Harbor Music opened a business office in Boynton Yards January 2024, bringing her music to Union Square and the Boston area.
Tell us a little bit about Wood Harbor Music!
Wood Harbor Music (WHM) promotes musical productions, both live and recorded. WHM has produced and released over a dozen recordings and has organized and promoted concerts in the Boston area as well as New York City.
What inspired you to start a business? How did this feeling grow once you actually started your business?
Wood Harbor Music is an outgrowth of my musical interests as both a composer and performing musician. After recording with the Bill Desmond Tone Poem in the 1980s, I moved on to record and release my first solo album in 1990.
In 2009, after my children had grown, I went back to recording. Since then, I have recorded and released 8 albums of my music as well as albums by the Tutti Music Collective, a project that grew out of WHM.
On the live music side, I organize performances at local Boston area venues such as Boynton Yards (where my office is located), St. Cecilia Church, the Lilypad, and the Magic Room, and I collaborate with the NYC-based Modus Operandi Orchestra for concerts in the NYC area.
What makes you most proud to be a business leader in our community?
Promoting and supporting talented local musicians and singers!
How do you #LoveUnionSquare?
I love walking into businesses such as Ricky's Flower Market or Mama Gina's where they know me by name. It's great to feel part of the community!
If you were to plan the perfect outing in Union Square, where would you go and what would you do?
During the day, it would be strolling around the Union Square Farmers Market and then stopping for a bite to eat—so many food choices!
For the evening, I'd invite friends to Machu Picchu! Since I’m married to a Peruvian, going there always takes me back to meals with family in Peru (oh, and the food is very good, too!).
Do you have any fun facts that someone might not know already?
My day job is as a civil engineer.
Remember all that mess with construction in the square from 2018 to 2022? Well, that was my project, so any inconvenience you might have experienced—it was my fault!
Is there anything else you think a Square enthusiast would like to know?
You can check out our recordings on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming platforms! And watch the USMS Events Calendar for our upcoming performances!
Keep up to date with Rachel and Wood Harbor Music by following their Facebook page.
