Called “intense, precise, and full of personality,” Caeli Smith is a chamber musician and educator in high demand across New York City and beyond. She is a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and has performed with them across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and has performed internationally with her quintet Sybarite5, the New York Philharmonic, The Knights,Sejong Soloists, and the Verbier Chamber Orchestra.

Known among students and colleagues for her exuberance and curiosity, Caeli (pronounced “Chay-lee”) is on the faculty of the Heifetz International Music Institute and Kinhaven Music School. She works weekly with pre-college, college, and graduate students at The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music as a teaching assistant/adjunct professor for multiple viola studios.

Caeli is the former interim viola professor at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She is an alum of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, the post-graduate performance, education, and leadership program of Carnegie Hall and The Juilliard School. 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. She has a second master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a Masters in Education, Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship; with a concentration in Arts and Learning.