MELISSA'S FLUTE CORNER

Melissa is an experienced flute/piccolo teacher and performer in the Greater Boston area. She holds a Master of Music degree in flute performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

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Melissa enjoys teaching students from a variety of backgrounds and age groups. In 2012, Melissa began teaching private lessons for K-12 students while working as a daycare leader in Littleton Public Schools. In 2019, Melissa was accepted as a Fellow with the Marrowstone Music Festival, where she led sectionals and mentored advanced high school and undergraduate flutists. Melissa also acted as a Camp Counselor during the 2015 University of Colorado Summer Middle School academy, where she led sectionals and other activities. She also served as event coordinator for the University of Colorado at Boulder's Teaching Peace Through Music Chapter from 2014 to 2016, planning and promote events for students interested in music outreach. Outside of music, Melissa also taught 48 undergraduate students at the University of Illinois during the 2019-2020 school year as a public speaking instructor. 

As a performer, Melissa enjoys playing music from a variety of genres and with ensembles of all sizes. While working on her masters, she performed with the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the University of Illinois Modern Ensemble, and the University of Illinois Wind Symphony. She premiered several pieces as Principal Piccoloist with the University of Illinois Wind Symphony during their performance at the 2019 CBDNA conference. She also enjoyed playing with the Spengler Wind Quintet.

While attending the University of Colorado at Boulder, Melissa performed with the University of Colorado Boulder Orchestra, Opera, and Wind Symphony as well as with The Denver Young Artists Orchestra. She was a member of a flute, harp, and viola trio.

As a soloist, Melissa was a winner of the National Flute Association's 2017 Masterclass Performers Competition. She was also selected to perform in the Sir James Galway Masterclass during the Once a Flutist Festival in March 2017.  

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Melissa believes in the importance of live music in the community, and performed at the New Haven Public Library for Make Music Day and appeared

as a 'Pop Up' performer with the New Haven Arts Council. She also believes in the importance of exploring other music cultures and has taken courses in Indian music, Irish music, and Middle Eastern music. She was invited to co-found and perform with the South Asian Music Association at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 2016 to 2017.

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