About Melanie

Praised for her “sparkling coloratura” (Classical Voice North America), Melanie Spector is a soprano who was born and raised in New York City. Recognized for her interpretations of the virtuosic works of Mozart, her most frequently performed roles include Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Eugene Opera, Stuttgart Philharmonic/Internationale Opernwerkstatt Waiblingen, and the Metropolitan Opera’s Education Program); Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Savannah Opera and Opera Tampa) and Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Detroit Opera Orchestra and The Opera Next Door). Most recently, Melanie has been recognized for her vocal prowess in the competition circuit, taking home Third Prize in Opera Tampa’s D’Angelo Competition, and the Leopold O. Damrosch Prize from the Oratorio Society of New York’s Lyndon Woodside Competition, in which she made her Carnegie Hall debut. Upcoming performances include Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) with Village Opera and Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte) at the Savannah VOICE Festival.

In her tenure as a Resident Artist at Detroit Opera, she appeared as Chocholka and Mrs. Pásek in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen; Soloist in John Cage’s Europeras 3 & 4; Atalanta (cover) in Handel’s Xerxes; Margarita Xirgu (cover) in Golijov’s Ainadamar; and the High Priestess in Verdi’s Aida. Other roll credits include Musetta (La Bohème), Bubikopf (Der Kaiser von Atlantis), Woglinde (Das Rheingold), Sister Constance (Dialogues of the Carmelites), Nannetta (Falstaff), La Fée (Cendrillon), Gilda (Rigoletto), and Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring). On the concert stage, Melanie has appeared as soprano soloist in a wide range of orchestral and chamber repertoire. With the Midland Symphony Orchestra, she performed Mozart’s “Vorrei spiegarvi, o dio,” and Requiem. She was also featured as soprano soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Fisher Music Center with the Wayne State University Wind Symphony and Chorus.

An avid fan of new music, Melanie’s contemporary work includes the world premieres of Theofanidis’ Siddhartha, She, in which she covered the title role as a Fleming Artist at the Aspen Music Festival, Samuel Adams’ First Work with the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, and Luke Baron’s “Kun joulu on” and “Joulupuu on rakennettu”: Two Finnish Christmas carols arranged for soprano, piano and violin. Additional chamber music highlights include Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen in collaboration with clarinetist David Shifrin and pianist Gilles Vonsattel at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival and Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer at Detroit Opera.

A three-time District Winner/Region Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition, Melanie has been recognized by several organizations for her vocal achievements. In addition to the Met, she has won accolades from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, Tuesday Musicale of Detroit, the Camille Coloratura Awards, and the National Society of Arts and Letters. She has been a Finalist in the Lewisville Lake Symphony, Rochester International, and Dorothy Lincoln-Smith Vocal Competitions, as well as a Semi-Finalist in the Loren L. Zachary, Annapolis Opera, and James Toland Vocal Arts Competitions.

In addition to her training in the Detroit Opera Resident Artist Program and the Aspen Music Festival, she is a proud alumna of the Internationale Opernwerkstatt Waiblingen, the Miami Music Festival Wagner Institute, Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance, and Manhattan School of Music (BM ’19, MM ’21). Aside from singing, Melanie has been heard as a regular panelist on the Metropolitan Opera Quiz during Saturday matinées, and she works as a Social Media Manager for Lenny’s Studio, handling channels for several of the opera industry’s top stars.

Melanie is represented by Encompass Arts for general management.