Bio

Kelly moved to Phila leaving behind her P.A. Dutch roots and love of nature to study Music Therapy and play classical flute at Temple University. Never in her wildest dreams would she be singing professionally, but, a supportive professor got her a gig and the singing bug hit.  

Kelly uses her voice like an instrumentalist creating unique vocal and rhythmic textures in a wide range of styles from Be Bop to R & B. She gives uncompromising attention to the meaning and emotion of a song never playing it safe and letting the music take her where it needs to go. She is full of surprises as she never repeats a phrase quite the same way. Kelly is willing to express raw emotion and to lose herself in the music.  

She credits her incredibly inspiring uniquely-abled clients, many of whom could not speak, with truly teaching her how to sing.  

Over the years, she has performed in concert at The Chestnut Cabaret, Steel City, Chaplin's, The Music Cafe, The Uptown Jazz Hour series, The Art Museum of Phila., Berks Jazz Fest,  Jazz Bridge's Jazz in the Wood, Lancaster Jazz Festival, Harrisburg Jazz Festival and the Ware Center in Lancaster, Pa.  She has also had the great fortune of singing in the work horse days when vocalists could work 6 nights a week pulling in over 200 gigs a year. 

Kelly has taught Jazz Vocal Performance at The University of the Arts, Temple University and Community College of Philadelphia. She currently teaches Music Therapy classes at Temple University, runs a music therapy private practice. She is the author of  'The Use of Voice in Music Therapy'  (2020 Barcelona Publishers). 

Kelly co-led on two recordings: Inner Urge with Randy Sarles on the Dreambox Media label, and, Songs of Living with Dylan Taylor on C.I.M.P. (Creative Improvised Music Projects).  www.kellymeasheymusic.com