Jan Kelley, cello, grew up in Wyoming and received a formative part of her musical education during five inspiring summers at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. She later earned a B.A. from Carleton College in Minnesota. After performing for several seasons with both the Florida and Dallas Symphony Orchestras, Jan moved to Los Angeles, where she built a career as a freelance cellist. Over the years, she has performed with numerous orchestras throughout Southern California—from Santa Barbara to San Diego—including a 1967 world tour with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. Her work also includes contributions to film, television, and commercial soundtracks.

While she played many “sideline” gigs, one of her most memorable was a day spent at Paramount Studios on the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where she portrayed Ensign Cheney, a cello-playing crew member. Friends still delight in spotting her cameo in reruns.

In 1995, while playing at a wedding, Jan had a sudden realization: very little sheet music was published for string trios, unlike the abundance available for string quartets. That same evening, she called her son—an accomplished arranger—and convinced him to start writing trio arrangements with flexible instrumentation options. He in turn enlisted his wife, who had a flute business and strong computer skills. Together, they launched Last Resort Music Publishing, Inc. Jan has remained deeply involved with the company ever since. Locals who know the family affectionately refer to their publications as “the Kelley Books.”

Over the years, Jan and violist Joel Lish frequently performed together and became close friends, often collaborating in chamber music settings. Joel repeatedly encouraged Jan to join his Palisades Symphony, which she finally did about 20 years ago. In 2014, Jan and Joel were married. Today, Joel is deeply missed by Jan, their friends, and musical colleagues.