About
Melissa joined the violin section of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in January 2020. She has also performed with distinguished ensembles such as the Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Houston Symphony and St. Louis Symphony. While performing with the Cleveland Orchestra on their 2017 European Tour, she played under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst in venerated halls such as the Musikverein, the Elbphilharmonie and in the Philharmonie de Paris. Her festival experiences have included Verbier Festival in Switzerland, where she performed as Principal Second Violin under Valery Gergiev, and as a Fellow at Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. She has performed as Concertmaster of the Shepherd School of Music under Larry Rachleff and the Brevard Music Center under Keith Lockhart.
Melissa has performed as soloist with La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and National Repertory Orchestra. She was selected to participate in a people-to-people outreach excursion to Havana, Cuba to perform with renowned jazz pianist Nachito Herrera and as soloist with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Cuba. She has won numerous prizes in the Schubert Club Scholarship Competition, St. Paul String Quartet Competition and MTNA Chamber Music Competition.
As a chamber musician, Melissa has had the opportunity to perform as a Young Artist in Residence with prestigious chamber music societies such as the Cleveland Chamber Music Society, Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, CO and the Centrum Chamber Music Festival in Port Townsend, WA. Along with a recital residency, she performed community and educational outreach throughout these cities. Melissa has participated in masterclasses for members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Cavani, Dover, Calder, and Parker Quartets. She has studied chamber music with Sylvia Rosenberg, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, James Dunham, Peter Salaff, Norman Fischer and Kenneth Goldsmith.
Influential teachers include Kathleen Winkler, William Preucil, Sally O'Reilly and Mary West. Melissa holds a Master of Music Degree from Rice University and a Bachelor of Music Degree from Cleveland Institute of Music.