Kelly Landerkin came to Switzerland as a Fulbright and Federal Scholar after studying voice, music theory, and historical performance practice in Hawaii (B.A. Manoa) and Indiana (M.M. Bloomington). At the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the Musicology Institute of the University of Basel, she advanced her specialization in medieval music. Afterwards she obtained the Diploma in Music Pedagogy at the Zurich University of Music and Drama as well as the MAS in Advanced Vocal Ensemble Studies in Basel.
As a singer, her repertoire ranges from the earliest readable sources of the Middle Ages to the present day. Kelly Landerkin was a founding member of the ensemble Peregrina, and her CD recordings have received numerous critical accolades, including the Echo Klassik award for "Filia praeclara."
Kelly Landerkin has been a member of the management of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis since 2010. She leads the bachelor's degree programs in early music, the master's degree in music education, and studies in the medieval department. She herself teaches liturgical monody /gregorian chant. Her areas of interest at the interface of research and practice include modal improvisation and performance practice of liturgical monody, and historical music pedagogy. Research projects on these topics have been supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (2011-13 "Performing Conventions of Aquitanian Nova Cantica"; 2014-16 "Ina Lohr: An Early Music Zealot"). She is currently working on the edition project of liturgical plays at Corpus Monodicum.
Kelly Landerkin is involved in various networks at the European level. Since spring 2022, she has been a member of the Executive Board of REMA (Réseau Européen de Musique Ancienne) as well as the Early Music Platform Task Force of AEC (Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen).
As of September 2022, Kelly Landerkin is part of the new collaborative management board of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and was the first to serve as head of this board from 2022 to 2024.