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Artist
Elden Kelly
4+ albums
LovepopgodspiritualBahai
about
Elden Kelly began to play the guitar at age ten, studying jazz and experimental improvisation. His interest in international styles eventually led him to the oud (a fretless Egyptian lute), and the glissentar (a 12-stringed fretless guitar), which he now incorporates into many of his performances. In addition to instrumental improvisation, Elden also works as a singer-songwriter, whose musical style blends middle-eastern influences with neo-classicism, jazz, and American roots music. His new CD, 1000 Doors, exhibits this direction in a compilation of original musical settings for solo voice and guitar of the sacred writings of the Baha’i Faith. Elden received his Bachelor’s Degree with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with pianist Ran Blake, guitarist Joe Morris, and sitarist Peter Row, among others. He also was privileged to study songwriting and voice with the critically acclaimed singer and composer, Dominique Eade. While in Boston, Elden served as teaching assistant at New England Conservatory for theory and keyboard-harmony classes, and also as guitar faculty at the Allegro Music School. He directed a week-long guitar educational program, “Guitar Intensive,” in Richmond, VT, which was sponsored by the Huntington Valley Arts organization. In 2008, Elden accepted a teaching assistantship at Michigan State University to serve as a graduate assistant to bassist and Jazz Studies chairman Rodney Whitaker. His master’s th
