An alumna of Berklee College of Music, Halley started playing the cello at age 9, and picked up bass, viola, and violin in middle school. While in Boston, she enjoyed recording session work, and was chosen to perform with Gloria Estefan, Steve Winwood, Philip Bailey, the Jon Finn Group, and Herbie Hancock. Her claim to fame is having been the String Arranger and Coordinator for the Dropkick Murphys and performing with them for several years during their St. Patrick's Day Boston shows.
After Berklee, Halley and her husband Michael Engesser founded Rock Solid Productions, a music production company, and built their own recording studio in New Jersey. There, they recorded the first album of Halley's rock cello project, CelloVein, called "Bad Cellist". During her time in New Jersey, she also performed with the Garden State Philharmonic, various wedding groups, the Algonquin Arts Theatre, and taught cello and violin lessons in her studio.
Halley left New Jersey for Encino in August 2018, and while it wasn't easy leaving her family, jobs, studio, and students, she is feeling very at home here at the Knauer Music School, and is so happy to be able to share her passion and knowledge with students of all ages.
