Kelby Schnepel
Adjunct Instructor

Kelby Schnepel is a conductor currently living in Middleton, Wisconsin. He is finishing his doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison where he is expecting to finish his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting in Spring 2026. In 2025, he spent time in Berlin as an Assistant Conductor with the Berlin Opera Academy. Previously, in 2022, he was named a Conducting Fellow with Wisconsin Chamber and at UW-Madison he has served as one of the Assistant Conductors of the UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra and University Opera, and was Co-Conductor of the Medical Sciences Orchestra and All University Strings. Before moving to Wisconsin, Kelby was orchestra director at Norfolk Academy and was an adjunct professor at Virginia Wesleyan University where he taught music theory and directed the orchestra. Kelby has participated in masterclasses and festivals led by noted conducting teachers such as Victor Yampolsky, Dominic Grier, Donald Schleicher, Colin Metters, Toby Purser, Carlos Spierer, and Larry Rachleff. A strong supporter of music education and arts in education, Kelby holds both a Bachelors and a Masters of Music Education from Old Dominion University along with a Masters in Orchestral Conducting from UW-Madison where he studied with Oriol Sans.