Celebrating our colleagues: Emily Kelly

Emily Kelly, Development Manager (ABLE), Division of External Engagement.  

I’ve spent many years working in the arts. Prior to my job at the University of Adelaide, I  worked for national chamber music company Musica Viva Australia. I really loved my time there, particularly working with key donors in philanthropy and raising funds for different programs. I then had an opportunity to do a year-long Governor’s Leadership Foundation course, which delved quite deeply into leadership at a personal level and where we sit in the development of society and ethical organisations. It was a combination of that course and personal refection that led me to this point in my career.

Education has been the key driver behind what I have been doing all these years, and what I think is most important.

When I saw this position pop up at the University, I thought that working to raise money for scholarships and research was a great way to contribute my skills to an area which I’ve been passionate about for a long time.

What I enjoy most about my job is that I connect people who are really passionate about what they do. For example, I work with heads of schools and academics from the faculty of ABLE to identify important areas that would benefit from support in terms of development. I then identify people who would like to give back and support the University in areas where they have a shared passion. Recognising that giving through the University makes a huge impact on people’s lives, society or the economy. 

My proudest achievement so far is working with the Director of the Elder Conservatorium, Professor Anna Goldsworthy, to help grow the Bachelor of Music - Classical Performance program and attract more students. Not a lot of people realise this, but when Elder Con performance graduates begin their professional careers, one of the most important elements of their biographies is who they’ve learned from; their instrumental teacher is always the first thing employers will look at. So, with that in mind, it is imperative that we have an exceptional instrumental teaching staff.  

To emphasise the importance of this, we organised a special event for donors which included a cellist performance, and we discussed the importance of a three-year strategic appointment for a cello teacher. The event was a success, and we have since appointed Edith Salzmann, a sought-after cello teacher with an international performance and teaching career, thanks to the generous gifts of our donors.  It’s been a real ripple effect as it has strengthened numbers in the ensembles that perform here, created a new quartet, and boosted the University’s orchestra.  

One of the students is currently touring Europe, doing masterclasses with incredible musicians over there and is absolutely making a name for himself. So we can already see that six months into the new appointment it’s been quite a terrific outcome. 

Music has always been an important part of my life. I’ve been singing ever since I was a small child and have done so professionally since I was 16. I’ve been in a number of bands, covering everything from punk to jazz and cabaret.

I’m in a group called ECLIPSE Pink Floyd Orchestrated, a ten-piece band with a 30-piece orchestra and we are currently doing shows interstate. We have just performed two sold out shows at the Sydney Opera House, and at the Crown Casino in Perth and we are about to perform at QPAC Concert Hall in Brisbane, and Hamer Hall in Melbourne.

That band has been going for about six to seven years – it doesn’t play very often, but when it does, they are really fantastic shows.  

It’s up to us individually to rehearse and keep on top of our parts as we are scattered around the country, but it’s a nice release. The work I do at the University is wonderful, but it can be quite in your head and there’s a lot of strategic development, negotiating and relationship building and this group is just a fantastic creative outlet: we get to focus on doing one thing and that is performing music really well and you can just lose yourself in that.

I think one of the greatest joys in life is communicating with people in different ways. For me, that’s on a stage, musically, with people in a group – it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do.

What Emily has been reading: 

Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life by Anna Funder 

Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams