Chelsey grew up in Montana surrounded by the musical influences of her family. She learned from a young age to play both fiddle and piano, and over time grew committed to the study of classical piano, winning several competitions and performing concerti with the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, Montana State University Orchestra, Glacier Symphony Orchestra, and University of Northern Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
Enjoying a varied career as pianist, instructor, and fiddler, Chelsey has performed in Europe, South America, Asia, and throughout North America, collaborating with both singers and instrumentalists. Chelsey attended the Aspen Summer Music Festival (2013) and the Vancouver International Song Institute (2012) on scholarship and performed as a guest artist in Brazil at the Rio International Cello Encounter (2009 & 2010). She has accompanied and coached opera productions in Colorado, California, and Germany, and has performed in masterclasses of such distinguished artists as Martin Katz, Stephanie Blythe, and Margo Garrett.
She joined the Berlin Academy of American Music on their album, TRANSATLANTIC (Onyx Classics, 2021), under the baton of Garrett Keast and performed at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg with the same group in 2022. In 2019 she worked at Theater Magdeburg as guest répétiteur for the world premiere of Jeffrey Ching’s opera Die wahre Geschichte von King Kong. She currently works as accompanist for members of the Orchestra Academy of the Staatskapelle Berlin and maintains a full teaching studio.
In 2022, Chelsey began focusing on performing solo piano house concerts, wanting to reach audiences that wouldn’t usually attend classical concerts. She received a grant from NeuStartKultur to further this goal and gives several private concerts each month. She currently resides in Berlin, Germany.
Dr. Padilla completed her Bachelor of Arts in music at Montana State University, her Master of Music at the University of Northern Colorado, and her Doctor of Musical Arts in Keyboard Collaborative Arts at the University of Southern California.
