John-Edward Kelly (October 7, 1958 – February 12, 2015) was an American conductor and saxophonist. Born in Fairfield, California, Kelly began music studies in Belleville, Illinois studying clarinet, saxophone, flute and voice. Kelly focused on his passion for the saxophone as he began formal music studies at Florida State University's School of Music; where he launched his quest to resurrect the original tone and range of the saxophone as designed by Adolphe Sax. His teachers included Sigurd Rascher. Kelly took Rascher's place as alto saxophonist in the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, with which he regularly performed for 10 years. Kelly later became a professor of chamber music at the Robert Schumann Academy of Music in Duesseldorf, and a professor of saxophone and contemporary chamber music a