About Nicola Kelly

Nicola Kelly is a violinist and educator based in the Hudson Valley, New York. Having over ten years of experience, she regularly performs at music festivals, charity events, and local concerts. She has also performed internationally in music festivals in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and the UK. She has taught violin lessons for three years and is a member of the non-profit Through The Staff.

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She began studying violin at age ten. As a teen she attended acclaimed music camps such as Interlochen School for the Arts, Carnegie Hall Honors Performance Series, and Ingenium Academy. In New York State, Nicola received perfect scores on every NYSSMA Assessment and attended All-State in 2019 and 2020. In her college career she has attended the International Music Festival of the Adriatic and Aria Academy.

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Along with being a classically trained violinist, she is also an experienced fiddle player. She leads the New Paltz Session, a student group dedicated to learning and performing folk music across many cultures.

She is an alumnus of SUNY New Paltz studying Violin Performance with Dr. Christiana Fortune-Reader. She will graduate with a Masters in Music Education from the Longy School of Music with a Graduate Fellowship.

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As an educator, she has experience teaching ages 5 to 18 in both general music, choral and orchestral settings. She was the Head Junior Strings teacher for the Longy Side by Side orchestra for the 2025-2026 season. She has also directed musicals, acting as assistant musical director for a production of Matilda. She has licensure in both Massachusetts and New York.