R.J. Kelley is regarded as a hornplayer of unusually broad musical scope, whether as soloist (American Classical Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica), chamber musician (Manhattan Brass; Smithsonian Chamber Players; Aspen Wind Quintet; Universal Piston), orchestral performer (New York Philharmonic; Metropolitan Opera, Orpheus, American Ballet Theater, Mostly Mozart), recording artist (Mozart Concerti on natural horn; Grammy-nominated Das Lied von der Erde – Mahler/Schoenberg reduction), or educator (artist faculty, Julliard School of Music; guest teacher/lecturer: Yale University; Hartt School of Music; SUNY Stony Brook; Washington University; San Jose State University).
Recently hailed in the Horn Call of the International Horn Society as performing “with virtuosity, precision, and a stylistic mastery that could be matched by few, surpassed by none”, R.J. is a participant in music festivals worldwide:(Edinburgh; Berkeley, Boston, and Bloomington Early Music festivals; Montreux-Detroit, Sacramento, and Mammoth Lake Jazz festivals; Mostly Mozart, Lincoln Center, Washington Square Park). With appearances on Saturday Night Live, the Today Show, Late Night with David Letterman, and over 100 cd’s (PBO, NY Philharmonic, Manhattan Brass) and films (Casanova, Snake Eyes) to his credit , R.J. has worked with commercial artists ranging from Jimmy Page and Puff Daddy, to Johnny Mathis, Little Anthony and the Imperials, the Killers, Chuck Mangione, and CeeLo Green. A Detroit native, he has resided in the New York City area since 1989.
R.J. Kelley performed at the August 8, 2021 concert.