A Twin Cities native, Kelby Strobel started violin lessons at the age of seven and in high school, studied with well-known pedagogue and Minnesota Orchestra violinist Aaron Janse.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from the University of Minnesota School of Music, where she studied with professors Mark Bjork and Sally O’Reilly. After college, Ms. Strobel continued her studies with Cecilia Belcher, Acting Associate Principal 2nd of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Ms. Strobel performs as an orchestral, chamber, and solo musician across the Midwest. She served as Principal 2nd Violin of the Mississippi Valley Orchestra for several years, then joined the Mankato Symphony Orchestra, where she performed as a soloist and prominent member of the first violin section. Ms. Strobel then began subbing with the South Dakota Symphony in the spring of 2018 and became an official member of the second violin section in 2019. Ms. Strobel also performs regularly with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and many other ensembles throughout Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. After a lengthy search, she recently acquired a violin made by Honoré Derazey, protégé of Jean-Baptise Vuillaume, ca. 1870. Ms. Strobel uses bows made by the legendary Eugene Sartory, ca. 1910, and Sydney Braithwaite Yeoman of Hill and Sons, ca. early 1900s.

Ms. Strobel has a thriving studio based out of her home in Plymouth, Mn. She has been teaching for over a decade; her students perform with the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony, Minnesota Youth Symphonies, and Mankato Area Youth Symphony Orchestras. Her students have gone on to pursue violin and music degrees at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Bethel University, The College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, Concordia College, and St. Olaf College. Ms. Strobel accepts students of all ages and ability levels, including adult students; she believes that with the proper instruction and dedication, learning to play the violin can be incredibly inspirational and rewarding.