A Word With... Kate Kelley

Santa Rosa Beach

(from Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England)

Principal second violin (2006-present)

Marketing coordinator (2009-present)

Q: Why do you have a passion for live music?

KK: I’ve grown up with music, going to concerts and playing in chamber groups and orchestras. My dad plays the piano, my brother plays the cello, and I started the violin when I was 5 years-old. I couldn’t imagine not being involved in music or playing the violin.

Q: How has Sinfonia “redefined” the contemporary orchestra experience in your view?

KK : Sinfonia is like no other orchestra I’ve seen. We bring the traditional classical music experience to our audience, along with non-traditional performances with well-known performers, upcoming artists, children’s concerts, movies, and so on. Sinfonia is reinventing the modern-day orchestra!

Q: Do you have a special memory from the past 15 years?

KK : There have been so many fun times that picking just one is impossible!

Q: Do you have a favorite piece of music you have played while in the orchestra?

KK : I really enjoyed Chris Brubeck’s Spontaneous Combustion that we did a few years back with violinist Nick Kendall, and of course PIXAR and Bugs Bunny! I also have really enjoyed the concertos we’ve done with the Young Concert Artists. Violinist Alexi Kenney wa especially good.

Q: What does Sinfonia bring/add to the NW Florida Gulf Coast arts scene/community?

KK : An accessible live orchestra experience.

Q: What do you hope for Sinfonia in the next 15 years?

KK : That we continue along the path that we’ve taken, expanding our education programs, bringing more music to more people, and continuing to expand the reach of the classical music experience along the Emerald Coast.

Q: Name one word to describe Sinfonia Gulf Coast.

KK

: FUNFonia!

– By Zandra Wolfgram