About
John Kelly is a second-year violin student at the University of Queensland’s School of Music, studying under Doretta Balkizas. He holds both the AMusA and LMusA with Distinction. In 2025, he was the recipient of the Howard and Gladys Sleath Scholarship, the Sleath String Performance Prize and the Dean’s Commendation for Academic Excellence (semesters one and two). In the same year, John was an Emerging Artist with the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, joining the orchestra to perform Mendelssohn’s version of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in the Sydney Opera House. Since 2022, John has been invited to perform with Ensemble Q each year, including in the Australian tour of internationally acclaimed countertenor Andreas Scholl in 2024. He is excited to participate in his first AYO program this year.
Alongside his violin pursuits, John is an avid pipe organist. He studied piano, achieving an AMusA with Distinction, before transitioning to the organ in 2024. Learning under Dr Phillip Gearing, John was the recipient of the Organ Society of Queensland Scholarship in both 2024 and 2025.
In his spare time, John enjoys reading about Australian history and constitutional law.
