Ashley has been interested in the cello for over a decade, after the abrupt end of a life long affair with ballet and ball room dancing, following an injury. Balancing her demanding career as a full-time surgical nurse made consistent practice difficult, but her curiosity never wavered. She began formal lessons at the Patel Conservatory with Grace Juliano and Michael Amos, through the Straz Center in Tampa, Florida, and continued her musical journey while working as a travel nurse.

In the year leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ashley studied intermittently but meaningfully, including a three-month period of lessons with a music student at the Yale School of Music, and additional instruction in Houston, Texas with Gengyun Qui. After a four-year break, she reignited her studies in Alexandria, Virginia, where she found renewed focus and inspiration through Opal Music Studio and her teacher, Joan Wolfe.

Under Wolfe’s guidance, Ashley found consistency in her lessons and began performing with the cello ensemble, Cellisima. She performed in a cello ensemble as lobby entertainment for the Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra’s holiday concert, Hallelujah! Handel’s Messiah and Holiday Favorites, and participated in ensemble performances featuring American folk and holiday repertoires.

Ashley is now preparing to relocate to Birmingham, Alabama, where she hopes to put down roots and continue her musical growth through lessons at Samford University. She aspires to play in community ensembles and orchestras.