Chelsea Tinsler Jones is a Utah-based percussionist with a unique portfolio career as a freelance performer, arts administrator, and music educator. She is the Artistic Producer of the award-winning Moab Music Festival and Percussionist/Director of Operations of Khemia Ensemble, a nationally-touring contemporary classical chamber group that has commissioned and premiered over 60 works, presented over a dozen university residencies, and released two studio albums.
Chelsea makes regular appearances with Utah Symphony, Ballet West, steelworks steelband, and records Broadway musical backing tracks for Right on Cue Services. Notable freelance appearances include White Christmas National Tour, Spike Video Game Awards, Johnny Mathis (UT), Paducah Symphony (KY), AEPEX Contemporary Performance (MI), Rochester Symphony (MI), New Britain Symphony (CT), Nutmeg Symphony (CT), Adrian Symphony (MI), and the Artful Living Musical Theater Company (CT).
As a soloist, she has performed with the University of Michigan Symphony Band, the Greater Hartford Youth Wind Ensemble, and the Hartt Contemporary Players. She placed second in the 2016 Black Swamp Solo Percussion Competition. Chelsea’s performance of Andy Akiho’s Stop Speaking for solo snare drum, accompanied by a stop-motion animated film by visual artist Alisa Yang, won “Best Music Video” at the 2018 Ann Arbor Film Festival.
A music educator to students of all ages, Chelsea has been an Instructor of Music at Utah Valley University since 2020 and has maintained a private percussion studio since 2009. Her debut etude book, Level Up! 15 Sequential Duets for the Developing Snare Drummer, is published by Tapspace. Previously, she has held positions as a Lecturer of Music at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Instrumental Music Teacher in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, and Director of the University of Michigan’s Impact Youth Percussion Ensemble. Chelsea has also served on the faculty of summer programs including Littlestone Summer Music Festival (TN), Music for the Sake of Music (WI), and the Hartt Community Division (CT).
She received her MM in Percussion Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan, her BM in Percussion Performance and Music Education from the Hartt School, University of Hartford, and a Core Certificate in Arts Management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Outside of music, Chelsea enjoys coffee, rescue dogs, and traveling with her fellow percussionist husband and son Leo.