Dr. Amelia Smith is a passionate performer and educator, and while being from a small town outside of Minneapolis, has taught clarinet in different areas of the United States. She has previously taught at the University of Mississippi, and Anoka Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids, MN. Amelia is currently Lecturer of Clarinet at the Fresno State School of Music. 

In addition to teaching, Amelia has performed throughout the country and abroad, including with the Fresno Philharmonic, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Santa Monica, and in masterclass with members of the Mozarteum Orchestra, performing the Mozart Clarinet Quintet. She was invited to perform the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Sinfonietta Orchestra of Memphis and the Copland Clarinet Concerto with musicians at the Thornton School of Music at USC. She has placed in several different competitions over the years and was awarded first prize in the graduate division of the 5-state regional Schubert Club Scholarship Competition, hosted in the Twin Cities, MN.  

Amelia teaches and performs in both Fresno and Los Angeles. In LA, she worked with Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), a program modeled after El Sistema and funded by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She considers herself an activist invested in the work of social justice through music education at all levels. Being the first Clarinet Teaching Artist at the YOLA Inglewood site, Smith was able to develop both musical skills and strong community within the students.

Smith holds degrees from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (BM), the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis (MM), and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (DMA).  Her former instructors include Howard Klug, Dr. Robyn Jones, Alexander Fiterstein, and Timothy Zavadil.