Called “intense, precise, and full of personality” after appearing as concerto soloist with The Juilliard Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall (OperaClick), CAELI SMITH is an award-winning chamber musician, educator, and facilitator. She has performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Knights, Sejong Soloists, Jordi Savall, and the Verbier Chamber Orchestra. Caeli is an alum of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, the post-graduate performance, education, and leadership program of Carnegie Hall and The Juilliard School. She is a founding member of Frisson and a member of the dynamic, eclectic chamber group, Sybarite5.
A curious and enthusiastic educator, Caeli is on the faculty of the Heifetz International Music Institute, the Kinhaven Music School, and the New York Philharmonic Teaching Artists. She is a Teaching Assistant and Technique Instructor for the ACHT Viola Studio at The Juilliard School. She has led educational workshops for the fellows of Ensemble Connect and the music teachers of Musical Mentors Collaborative. In 2022-2023 she is the visiting professor of viola, teaching the viola studio at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.
Caeli holds two degrees from The Juilliard School: a bachelor’s degree in violin performance and a master’s degree in viola performance. Upon graduating, she received the William Schuman Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music. Caeli also holds a Master’s in Education, Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship; with a concentration in Arts and Learning from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Caeli has written for radio, TV, and print, and her articles have appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as Strings, Teen Strings, and Symphony magazines.