Our Director of Music

Kelley Hart is a San Diego-based musician and educator. Hailing from Southwest Missouri, Kelley has been the Director of Music at First Christian Church in Mt. Vernon, MO, as well as the Associate Director of Music at Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin, TX.

Kelley has been trained as a singer, pianist, flautist, and choral conductor. She holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, MO, as well as an Associate Degree in Mathematics. She is a frequent soloist for oratorio and concert performances, as well as chamber music recitals. Among the various stage roles she has performed, some of her favorites are Poppea in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Despina in Così fan tutte, Della in Dan Wagner’s Gift of the Magi, and Eve in Bock & Harnick’s musical The Apple Tree.

In addition to performing, Kelley is dedicated to teaching music and has been educating students for over 20 years. She is currently the Director of lower school strings and orchestra at La Jolla Country Day School. She previously served on the voice faculty of the University of San Diego, Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, and Kenyon College in Gambier, OH. She has also taught music at the Christ Church Day School in Coronado. In addition, Kelley has been music director for several youth musical theater performances, including Les Misérables with ACT in San Diego.

Kelley is the cofounder and associate director of Opera NEO, a summer opera festival and young artist training program based at Palisades Presbyterian Church. Opera NEO brings talented young opera singers from all around the country to learn and perform opera in San Diego.

Kelley has been the Music Director at Palisades Presbyterian Church since January of 2011.