Melanie is a soprano and dancer reframing standard opera repertory through a female-driven lens, and collaborating with artists on new works challenging systemic norms within classical music. Upcoming projects include premiering choreographed sung arias with WaxWorks at Williamsburg Art Nexus (Brooklyn, NY) and the emerging artist series Fertile Ground through GreenSpace Dance Incubator (Queens, NY). In addition, Melanie is an Assistant Teaching Artist in the School at the Mark Morris Dance Center, and is completing prerequisite courses for the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies through a Work/Study Internship with Alexandra Beller/Dances.

Recently, Melanie collaborated with multimedia artist ONOH as 2021 SEED Residency Artists with [nueBOX]; with additional support from composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, they arranged the finale to Mozart’s Don Giovanni for soprano, dance, visuals, and electronics, reframing the story through a female perspective. Additional 2021-2022 projects include choreographing and performing Jake Heggie’s Eve Song with pianist Karey Miles, premiering composer Ashlee Busch’s Joy Girl with Micaela Rebb and the Arizona Women’s Collaborative, and joining the 2022 Teaching Artist Training Cohort with Mark Morris Dance Group.

Melanie was a 2019 Emerging Artist with Opera in the Ozarks, singing in Little Women (Amy), The Abduction from the Seraglio (Blonde), covering Musetta in La Boheme, and touring Northwest Arkansas as a Pre-Season Outreach Artist. She was a featured performer with the 2019 OME New Music Festival, performing music by Guest Composer-in-Residence Sarah Gibson and premiering composer Ashlee Busch’s song cycle Atypical Chronicles. As a 2018-2019 Molly Blank Fund ASU-Gammage Teaching Artist, Melanie developed her own artist residency based on the Kennedy Center’s Arts Integration Method, and led Teaching Artist residencies at Red Mountain High School (Mesa, AZ), and with the Scottsdale Arts Cultural Connections Program (Scottsdale, AZ). Additional engagements include joining Arizona Opera as a 2018 Education Artist, singing in Hansel and Gretel (Gretel), Opera 101: The Audition (Soprano Soloist), and in the lecture recital Candide’s Musical Mayhem (Featured Soloist).

Melanie has sung in multiple workshops and readings of new operas and musicals, Silvia in Behold the Man (Paul Fowler/Andrew Flack) with Arizona State University, Lynn in The Halloween Tree (Theo Popov/Tony Asaro) in collaboration with Arizona State University and American Lyric Theater, Lillie in Babe (Andrea Jill Higgins/Carolyn Gage) at Arizona State University and the National Women’s Music Festival, and La Babette in Big Red Sun (Georgia Stitt/Jon Jiler) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Melanie’s accolades include being an Arizona State Lyric Opera Theatre Guild Grant Recipient, an Encouragement Award Winner at the Metropolitan Opera District Auditions, and a Semi-Finalist in the Phoenix Opera Southwest Vocal Competition. She is also an alum of the 2020 DBR Lab, an interdisciplinary artist lab curated by Daniel Bernard Roumain, Jeff McMahon, and Arizona State University. She holds degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (BM/Voice with a Dance Minor) and Arizona State University (DMA/Voice & MM/Opera Performance), where her graduate research focused on using Gaga Movement Language and Bartenieff Fundamentals to help singers develop deeper kinesthetic connections to their vocal technique. She currently studies with Stephanie Weiss.

September 18, 2022
7:00pm
Featured Artist
Fertile Ground
GreenSpace Dance Incubator

 Melanie showcases choreographed arias as part of GreenSpace's Fertile Ground emerging artist series 

More Info Here

2022/2023
Assistant Teaching Artist
Mark Morris Dance Center

 Melanie is assistant teaching classes Music & Singing, Ballet, and Tap for the 2022/2023 academic year

More Info Here

October 2, 2022
7:00pm
Featured Artist
WaxWorks
Williamsburg Art Nexus

Melanie showcases choreographed arias as part of the WaxWorks Emerging Artist Series with Williamsburg Art Nexus

More Info Here

2022/2023
Work/Study Intern
Alexandra Beller/Dances

 Melanie is interning with Alexandra Beller/Dances while taking prerequisite courses for the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies

More Info Here

Recent Projects

January-June 2022
Teaching Artist Training Program
Mark Morris Dance Group

Melanie joins the 2022 Teaching Artist Training Cohort with Mark Morris Dance Group 

More Info Here

CLICK HERE for Melanie & ONOH's take on Mozart's Don Giovanni, arranged for soprano, dance, multimedia, violin, & electronics!