Keith Kelly is a musician, conductor, and podcaster, and the Global Band Room is a podcast dedicated to chatting to musicians around the world doing the same.
You can take the the man out of Ireland, but not Ireland out of the man!
Keith lives, works, and podcasts from Galway, Ireland.
He has worked with marching and concert bands in Ireland for over 20 years, and more globally for the last 10. Having grown up and performed with Dublin’s famous Artane Boy’s Band, Keith joined the Irish Defence Forces Band in 2004 where he served as principal clarinetist of the Band of the Western Command for over 10 years. During this time, Keith was actively involved within Irish community banding. As a conductor and administrator, Keith assisted in the founding of Irish concert bands such as the Clara Town Band and Midlands Wind Ensemble, the former of which would go on to win national awards at the IABCB (Irish Association of Brass and Concert Band) and South of Ireland Band Championships.
Keith served as the General Manager of the Artane Band and School of Music from 2015 - 2017, where he oversaw the implementation of a major three-year strategic plan, the 1.4 million redevelopment and extension of the school, the formation of a new 100-strong choral society, and the development of ongoing partnerships with Drum Corps International and Notre Dame University. He also oversaw the development of the ArtaneSound marching band program which would go on to perform at the Belfast and Glasgow International Tattoos.
In 2014, Keith was part of a team of passionate performers and music educators that founded the Irish Symphonic Wind Orchestra, an ensemble of about 100 performers from throughout Ireland. This ensemble was formed to expand the type of repertoire regularly in the hands of Irish community musicians, and has worked with international icons such as Johan de Meij, Philip Sparke, and Mark Heron as well as being invited to perform at the WASBE International convention in the Netherlands in 2017.
In 2020 in response to the Coronavirus outbreak, Keith started the Global Band Room Community and podcast to develop international virtual performance and education opportunities for bands and musicians.
Keith is a regular guest conductor in the USA where he promotes the work of Irish wind band composers. In September 2018, Keith was asked to establish a new youth band programme for the Ballinasloe Town Band in Galway. His children, Ryan and Faye, were his first new band recruits!!
Nowadays, Keith’s set his sights on seeing the world and interacting with those musicians he’s been chatting with over the years in person!