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appearances

Where am I going? ​

​​​​

  • ​Onwards, upwards, and outwards

  • October 6-12, 2025: worktrader at Falling Leaves Rendezvous

  • October 16-19, 2025: Firefly earthskills village at LEAF
  • February 2026: Site coordinator for Florida Earthskills Gathering

Interviews​

Open mics and jams

  • Spoken word open mics and poetry slams in and around Asheville 2024-2025: 

    • Elevated Kava west and Downtown​

    • Wag Bar

    • Eda's Hideaway

  • Spoken word and music open mics in Atlanta 2023:

    • First Wednesdays at Kat's Cafe

    • Wednesdays at Black Coffee​​​​​​​

  • Open mics and jams in Atlanta 2022: 

    • Waller's open mic on Tuesdays and bluegrass jam on Wednesdays​

    • Sundays with Swami Gone Bananas

    • Every third Monday at Grant Park Open Mic

    • June Tuesdays with Grateful Dan in Buford
       

Residencies and Grants

  • Goodall Visiting Fellow March 12-25, 2023

    • Premiere of Faeral Folk Songs and Stories March 23, 2023​

  • Artist in Residence July-December 2020

    • ​Decatur, GA​

  • Oboe Rockstar at Grants Awards Ceremony, June 12, 2018​

    • Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg, SC
      ​​

Vending and teaching

  • Mutual Aid Fest 2, November 23, 2024

    • Apocalypse Parlor in Weaverville, NC 

  • Barnardsville, NC, October 19, 2024​

    • Community Celebration post storm Helene

  • Cabin Fever Fest V, March 4-5, 2022

    • Studio 135, Atlanta, GA​

  • Grateful Bread's Halloween Spooktacular, October 30, 2021

    • Raccoon Creek Music Park, Dallas, GA

  • Grace Note Family Market and Concert

  • Forward Festival, May 28-30, 2021

    • Lafayette, GA

  • Pop up markets, August-December, 2020

    • Waller's Coffee, Imperial, and Metro Studios, Decatur, GA​

  • ACC MLK Day, January 20, 2020

    • Dennis-Yarmouth High School, MA​

  • Cobb's Hill Holiday Fair, December 7, 2019

    • Unitarian Church of Barnstable, MA

  • Get Off the Grid Fest, August 9-11, 2019

    • Big Berea Field at Warren Wilson College​, Swannanoa, NC

  • Fusion Fest, July 27, 2019

    • Barnet Park, Spartanburg, SC​

  • Spartanburg Soaring! April 13, 2019

  • Little River Roasting, January-February 2019

    • On display in downtown Spartanburg:

    • 1000 Cranes Uncaged

    • Be Kind Cranes

    • I Ching Wheel Tapestry

    • Fragments

  • Origami Class at Wofford College, January 15, 2019

  • Origami Class at Angels Charge Ministries, January 9, 2019

  • Origami Class at Greer Relief and Resources Agency, October 9, 2019
     

Earthskills and Events: Volunteering, work trade, or staff

Performances and talks

  • Private Event with Mayhayley's Grave

    • September 2024

  • Get Off the Grid Fest, August 18-20, 2023

    • Faeral Folk Songs and Stories: Elderberry Jam Stage

    • Tarps Crew for Firefly Eco Camp

    • ​The Music Camp in Spartanburg, SC

  • Dancing Tree Festival, June 8-11, 2023

    • Faeral Folks Songs and Stories; Heartwood, GA​

  • Revolt! Fundraiser for the Atlanta Solidarity Fund

    • No Tomorrow Underground, ATL, May 27, 2023

  • Weelaunee Art Auction Gathering, May 13, 2023

    • 7 Stages, Little 5 Points, Atlanta, GA

  • Goodall Visiting Fellow March 12-25, 2023

    • Premiere of Faeral Folk Songs and Stories March 23, 2023​

  • Vagabond Oboist at Camp Reggae, Memorial Day Weekend 2022

    • Turtletown, TN

  • Grand Opening Celebration, March 12, 2022

    • Green Room of Mableton, GA

  • Grateful Bread's Halloween Spooktacular, October 30, 2021

  • The Mortician's Ball with Mayhayley's Grave, October 29, 2021

    • Green Room of Mableton, GA

  • Minstrel at the Firefly Gala, October 20, 2021

    • Asheville, NC​

  • Get Off the Grid Fest, August 20-22, 2021

    • Camp Jordan, Chattanooga, TN​​

  • Vagabond Oboist at Dancing Tree Festival, June 11-13, 2021 

    • Heartwood, GA

    • Existence: Curated, a performance by Kelsey Leahy with solo oboe pieces from Benjamin Britten, William Grant Still, and Vincent Persichetti in between poetry written in the last few years as Kelsey has travelled between SC, GA, TN, Cape Cod, and St. Croix. 

  • Tiny Tunes for a Tiny Yule, December 18, 2020

    • Decatur, GA​

  • Prelude Music for Voices of Poetry February 22, 2020

    • Miller White Fine Arts, South Dennis, MA

  • Worship Service March 1, 2020

    • Unitarian Church of Barnstable, MA​

  • Busking for the Chapman Cultural Center, August 8, 2019

  • Vagabond Oboist at Sunday Songwriters, August 4, 2019

    • Brickhouse Pizzeria in Spartanburg, SC

  • Funeral service for Roy Cole, August 3, 2019

    • St. Christopher's Episcopal Church

    • Gabriel's Oboe

  • Unitarian Universalist Church, June 2, 2019

    • Where Have all the Flowers Gone? ​

  • Converse Wind Ensemble, May 6, 2019

  • Memorial Service, April 25, 2019

  • Unitarian Universalist Church Easter Service, April 21, 2019

  • Busking for the Chapman Cultural Center, April 3, 2019

  • Converse Wind Ensemble, March 14, 2019

  • Dorman High School Concerto Competition, February 12, 2019

  • Morningside Baptist Church, December 16, 2018

  • Lessons and Carols at Converse College, November 29, 2018

  • Converse Wind Ensemble, November 5, 2018

  • Dorman High School Orchestra, October 2, 2018

  • Busking for the Chapman Cultural Center, August 18, 2018

  • Origami Mami at Fine Arts Day Camp, July 13, 2018

    • Lawson Academy of the Arts, Spartanburg, SC

  • First Presbyterian Church of Spartanburg, June 17, 2018

  • Oboe Rockstar Recital, June 2, 2018 at 3:00 PM

    • Rainey Amphitheater, Converse College

    • Lawson Faculty Recital

    • ​Sequence of Events: 

      • I. "Because I exist, I resist."

      • II. Metamorphoses After Ovid, Benjamin Britten

      • III. 1000 Cranes Backstory

      • IV. Bagatelles for Solo Oboe, Gordon Jacob

      • V. How Can I Help? 

      • Truthfully, though, the order doesn't matter.

  • Ring and Sing, April 22, 2018

    • ​Performed with the handbell choir and chamber group at Boiling Springs First Baptist 

  • Spartanburg Earth Day Festival, April 21, 2018

    • Using Your Resources Wisely: a 30 minute presentation at the Unitarian Universalist Church discussing Success Initiative and Project Hub Spartanburg with a focus on using the resources already available. 

  • Labyrinth Walk, March 23, 2018

    • ​The Central United Methodist Church in Spartanburg, SC will have a 45' hand painted labyrinth with musical accompaniment. 

  • Morning Service, February 25, 2018

    • Tartini, Sonata in G Minor and choir accompaniment. 

  • Dorman High School Concerto Competition, February 13, 2018 

  • Tech-n-Tinker: Kelsey Makes Connections, December 28, 2017

    • ​A surprise Tech-n-Tinker! The stars have aligned and Kelsey Leahy will be in the building to discuss a decade of connections made in Spartanburg, a thriving city that is full of surprises if you know where to look. 

    • If you are in Spartanburg we are challenging you to show up. We need everyone to make it happen. Everything is connected, we just have to keep seeking new information! 

  • The Song Heard Round the World, December 17, 2017

    • Morningside First Baptist, Spartanburg, SC

    • ​Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra

  • Christmas // Then, Today, Tomorrow, December 10, 2017

    • Boiling Springs First Baptist, SC​

  • Bach Cantata No 80, October 22, 2017

    • Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC​

    • ​​Chamber Singers with orchestra and soloists will perform Cantata 80 by J. S. Bach: "A Might Fortress is Our God" in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation. All are welcome to attend this free event. 6:00 PM in the sanctuary. 

  • Our Faither in Heiven, October 30, 2016

    • First Presbyterian Church, Spartanburg, SC

    • ​Our Faither in Heiven, T. A. Berger

    • Chancel Choir; Kelsey Leahy, oboe; Mike Reuter, drums

  • Christmas Service, December 13, 2015

    • First Presbyterian Church, Spartanburg, SC

    • ​Fantasia on “Greensleeves” Ralph Vaughan Williams

    • Fantasia on Christmas Carols (England) Ralph Vaughan Williams

    • Il est ne le divin enfant (France) arr. John Rutter

    • Still, Still, Still (Austria) arr. Mack Wilberg

  • Senior Recital, April 24, 2015

    • ​Converse College, Spartanburg, SC

    • ​​​William Grant Still, Incantation and Dance

      • Julie Smith, Piano

    • Mark Biggam, The Morning Cat

      • Mary Luke, Soprano​

    • Gordon Jacob, Seven Bagatelles for Soloe Oboe

      • Madeleine Dring, Three Piece Suite, Romance

    • Paul Hidemith, Oboe Sonata

      • Julie Smith, Piano
         

Where will I show up next? 

vagabondoboist@gmail.com

©2017 by Kelsey Leahy

Want to help get me there?

Donations accepted but not expected. 

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This website was funded in part by Chapman Cultural Center, its donors, the County and City of Spartanburg and the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC. 

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