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About

Chris Kelley is a music educator based in Vancouver, WA. He holds a Masters in Music Education and a B.Mus. in Tuba Performance from Western Washington University, where he studied with Dr. Carla Rutschman. He played with many honor groups while attending high school in Kelso, Washington, including playing with the All-Northwest Orchestra under Maestro Gerard Schwarz in 2009, then Maestro of the Seattle Symphony. This led to an opportunity to perform with the Seattle Symphony in Benaroya Hall.

 

He began playing the Tuba in grade 7 while living in Texas. When he entered high school, he joined jazz band and began learning the Trombone. By his senior year of high school, he was playing Euphonium in band, Bass Trombone in jazz band, and went to State Solo & Ensemble, Music in May, and the All-State Wind Symphony on Tuba. This multi-instrumentalism progressed into college, where he played Euphonium in the WWU Wind Symphony, Tuba in the WWU Symphonic Band, and Bass Trombone in the jazz program his Freshman year. As he progressed through his degree, he focused on Tuba, but not before studying with Gregory Cox on Bass Trombone and performing with the WWU Trombone Ensemble.

 

Chris has taught private music lessons since 2014, and in 2018 and 2019 one of his tuba students won 1st place at State Solo & Ensemble (TWO YEARS IN A ROW - so proud)! He teaches all brass instruments, but does specialize in low brass. He taught tuba students at WWU as a graduate assistant, and taught at WCC in Bellingham as an Adjunct Tuba Professor.

He has studied with Dr. Carla Rutschman and Gregory Cox, taken lessons from Roland Szentpali, Aaron Tindall, James Gourlay and Kelly Thomas, and participated in masterclasses with John DiCesare. He has also been to masterclasses hosted by greats, such as Chris Olka, Hiram Diaz (euph), Gail Williams (horn), and many others.

 

He is currently looking to build a strong studio in Vancouver, having moved at the beginning of the pandemic from his home base in Bellingham, WA.