Dr. Justin Kelly earned the B.S. From Xavier University, the Ed.M. from Boston University, and both the M. Music in Voice Performance and the Ed.D. degrees from the University of Illinois.

As a performer, Dr. Kelly has appeared in opera, musicals, and recitals. He studied opera performance and direction at the Illinois Opera Theatre and at the H. Wesley Balk Institute. He was awarded a Voice Foundation Study Grant, and two N.E.H. Summer Seminar Study Grants.

In addition, he spent a year in the Netherlands as a recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship. Dr. Kelly has published articles on vocal pedagogy as well as choral compositions. He is a member of Music Educators National Conference (MENC), Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA), National Association of Teaching Singing (NATS), and American Association of Composers, Arrangers and Publishers (ASCAP).