Of African American and Venezuelan descent, Khelsey Zarraga is a violinist, teaching artist, improviser, arranger, recording artist, and social justice advocate based in Chicago, IL. 

A 3Arts Make A Wave award recipient, Khelsey performs a wide variety of genres and has performed concerts of gospel, hip-hop,  jazz, and classical music. She is a proud member of D-Composed, an all-Black chamber music collective celebrating the works of Black composers. She has collaborated with acclaimed artists and creatives such as Jamila Woods, Tricia Hersey, Cheryl Lynne Bruce, Pamela Z, Nathalie Joachim, Pauli the PSM, Angel Bat Dawid, and Plinio Fernandes. She has created original compositions and arrangements for D-Composed and enjoys curating new, community focused projects.  She is also the founding violinist of Black Moon Trio, where she collaborated with artists such as poet/author Michael Tyler and author Robin Wall Kimmerer. Black Moon Trio also released two albums to critical acclaim, Principal and Flourish.

Khelsey has enjoyed performing across Europe, South America, and the Caribbean and in venues such as the Chicago Theater, Kaufman Music Center, Sala São Paulo, Wilbur Theater, and Harris Theater. As a teaching artist, she has led workshops and panels on community engagement, representation in classical music, and composition, and she has been in residence and led masterclasses at the Jacobs School of Music, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Connecticut SummerFest, University of Louisville, Centre College, and Denison University. Khelsey is a mentor for the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, and she is on the administrative staff at United States Artists.