Violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins has deep ties to Rochester. She is an alumna of the Eastman School of Music, where she earned a BM with honors in violin performance and won the prestigious Performer's Certificate. She’s also been the longtime Concertmaster for the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra, which has made its home in Rochester for many years. Beyond the Flower City, Kelly played for 13 seasons in the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s first violin section, has soloed with orchestras throughout the country, as well as playing in countless chamber concerts.
But Kelly’s calling card goes beyond the concert halls – you’ll find her performing in New York City homeless shelters with Music Kitchen - Food for the Soul, a charity series she founded and directs. For over 400 performances, Broadway audiences heard Kelly’s solos in Fiddler on the Roof. Her multiple radio appearances have included WXXI’s Backstage Pass.
As the Gateways Music Festival settles in for three days in Rochester on the way to New York City and its sold out debut in Carnegie Hall, let’s shine a spotlight on the Concertmaster with her 2008 release In My Own Voice. It’s a CD filled with solos and duets, including a mesmerizing performance of Bach’s Chaconne and a heartbreaking rendition of William Grant Still’s “Summerland.” And if you have trouble finding the CD, you can easily get an MP3 download. And a side note - Kelly speaks eight languages, so she can translate for you wherever you may run into her.
