Resident in the New York area since 1990, R.J. Kelley has been heard with such distinguished ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, NY City Opera, NY City Ballet, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Orpheus, Aspen Wind Quintet, and many others.
Equally comfortable touring with Branford Marsalis and Orpheus, appearing on “Saturday Night Live” with Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page, or giving Bach’s Quoniam under direction of Christopher Hogwood, Andrew Parrott, or Joshua Rifkin; playing the Carnivale di Venezia with the Duke Ellington orchestra, recording Mozart’s complete Concerti for horn (MusicMasters/Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy/Thomas Crawford), R.J. has garnered critical praise ranging from “Dazzling!” (San Francisco Chronicle) to “...resident magician of the Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy…” (Hartford Courant).
RJ currently serves as principal horn of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra under Nicolas McGegan; Santa Fe Pro Musica & Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra/Kenneth Slowik (NM,DC); American Classical Orchestra/Thomas Crawford (CT); Portland Baroque Orchestra/Monica Huggett (OR); Washington Bach Consort/Reilly Lewis; he has been featured as concerto soloist with the above-named ensembles, as well as the Philadelphia Classical Symphony, Connecticut Early Music Festival, Connecticut Orchestra, The Governor’s Musicke (Williamsburg, VA), Tafelmusik (Toronto), Capella Nuova (Stockholm, Sweden), and others.
Festival appearances include the Edinburgh Festival, the BBC Proms-London, Mostly Mozart/Lincoln Center, Berkeley (CA) and Boston Early Music Festivals, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Blossom Festival, Gottingen Handel Festival, Brighton Festival (UK), and the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival. R.J. has been a guest artist of the Royal Court Theater Orchestra at Drottningholm (Sweden), Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Musica Antiqua St. Petersburg, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, CBC Vancouver, Korean Chamber Ensemble, Mexico City Philharmonic, and others.
R.J. has served as artist faculty at Colorado College and Hartwick College (NY); presented lecture-recitals and/or master classes at Florida State University, San Jose State University, Rutgers University, University of Montana, and University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Of some 50+ CD’s to his credit, a partial list includes: Beethoven’s Sextet (horns and strings) and Septet/OoOFA/ MusicMasters, piano Quintets of Mozart and Beethoven/Helicon Winds/Helicon, Vivaldi’s Concerti for Diverse Instruments/PBO/McGegan/Reference, and Rameau’s Le Temple de la Gloire/PBO/McGegan/ Harmonia Mundi USA. Recent releases include Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust (with Hora Decima brass ensemble/David Chamberlain); Bach’s Mass in F, BWV 233 (Washington Bach Consort/Reilly Lewis; and Schoenberg’s reduction of Mahler’s monumental Das Lied von der Erde (Santa Fe Pro Musica/Smithsonian Chamber Players/Slowik), which was nominated for a 2008 Grammy.
R.J. performs on an 1850 M.A. Raoux, an 1875 Besson (with three-piston sauterelle), and Seraphinoff/Haas Baroque horn. He also plays (exclusively) Alexander modern horns: 303, 307, 103, 90, and custom descant with a 103 bell.