Chelsea Starbuck Smith is an artist whose flair, zest and enthusiasm for the violin are infectious. Her perforances have been called "elegant and poetic, with enchanting moods and engaging colors."

She has performed as soloist, in recital, and in chamber music groups throughout the United State and abroad, including at Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, Peter Jay Sharp Theater and Paul and Morse Recital Halls at The Julliard School, Columbia Artists' CAMI Hall, Ed Lee & Jean Campe Memorial Concert Hall at the Meadowmount School of Music, Sarasota Opera House, National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and the Palais de Fountainebleau in France.

Chelsea is the 1st prize winner of the 2012 Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra Instrumental Competition and in 2010 captured the 1st prizes at the Stamford Symphony Instrumental

Scholarship Competition, Greater Bridgeport Symphony Carlson-Horn Competition for Young Instrumentalists, Greenwich Symphony Dorothy Gluckmann Music Award Competition, MTNA Connecticut Senior String Competition, and Wednesday Afternoon Musical Club Scholarship Competition. She is also a recipient of the Interlochen Arts Camp Emerson Award and Roger Nierenberg Young Musician Commendation Award presented by the Stamford Symphony.

As a chamber musician, Chelsea embraces contemporary as well as classical musical forms. She has performed as part of The Juilliard Electric Ensemble at Beyond the Machine, a festival of electro-acoustic and intermedia art. She is a founding member of Trio Esprit piano trio, who in 2009 presented the world premier of a new work by Eugenie Rocherolle commissioned for them by Millet Alexander at Chamber Music Central, and in 2008 won 1st Prize in The Center for Chamber Music's Scholarship Competition. She also performs in classical ensembles at The Juilliard School and at their annual ChamberFest concert series.

Chelsea is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree at The Juilliard School as a Juilliard Alumni Scholar, under the tutelage of Sally Thomas. She is a 2010 graduate of The Juilliard School Pre-College Division where she was a student of Ann Setzer. She has studied at summer festivals at Le Conservatoire Américain de Fountainebleau in France, Sarasota Music Festival, the Meadowmount School of Music, with Pinchas Zukerman at Canada's National Arts Centre Young Artists Program, Joan Kwuon at Bodoin International Music Festival and Dylana Jensen at Interlochen Center for the Arts; she has also participated in master classes with Pamela Frank, Joseph Silverstein, James Buswell, William Boughton, Kurt Nikkanen, David Shifrin, William van der Sloot, and the Amernet, Ariel, Daedalus, Escher, Jupter and Miró  Quartets. She began her violin studies at age 4 with Laura Wright in her hometown of Easton, Connecticut, and has also studied with Stephan Tieszen.

Chelsea is the featured violinist on The String Fingers Band's debut bluegrass album, available on iTunes. She is a member of the Juilliard New Orleans Service Project spring break team conducting free arts immersion projects for local youth, rebuilding homes with Habitat for Humanity and providing free public performances. She is founder and director of N*Tune, an organization dedicated to raising money for charity by providing music for special occasions. Chelsea is also an avid runner, and has competed as a high- and intermediate-hurdler.