Education
Melissa received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California, a Master of Music from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University. She won a fellowship to participate in the 2019 NATS Intern Program and is a graduate of the New York Vocal Coaching Teacher Training Program.
Performance
As a mezzo-soprano, Melissa has sung with opera companies throughout the US, including LA Opera, Sarasota Opera, Utah Opera, Opera North, Chicago Opera Theater, and Cedar Rapids Opera Theater. She can be heard as part of the Featured Ensemble on the GRAMMY award winning recording of The Ghosts of Versailles. Also with LA Opera, she has sung the role of the Vendor in Carmen, a Noble Page in Tannhäuser, and is a regular member of the LA Opera Chorus. A champion of new music, Melissa recently sang the role of El Ángel in a workshop performance of the newly commissioned opera by Carla Lucero, Las tres mujeres de Jerusalén. She also sang the role of Dulcinea in the world premiere of Juan Colomer’s opera Dulcinea XL with the LA Grand Ensemble.
Teaching
Melissa teaches voice to music theatre BFA majors at the University of Southern California. She also teaches classical voice majors at Loyola Marymount University. In addition, she maintains a private voice studio in Venice, California. Melissa is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, The Voice Foundation, the American Guild of Musical Artists, the Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance, and the Pan American Vocology Association.
Research/Publications/Presentations
Melissa’s scholarly articles have been published in the prestigious Journal of Singing and the Journal of Voice. She has presented her research on focus of attention and vocal fatigue at conferences given by the Voice Foundation, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Pan American Vocology Association. Melissa was the 2020 recipient of the Voice Foundation’s Sataloff Award for Young Investigators and she was the first researcher to win the award in the category of vocal pedagogy.