Melissa Schiel, Mezzo-Soprano

A faculty member of Central Washington University, since 2011, Dr. Melissa Schiel teaches applied voice, diction and vocal pedagogy. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance from the University of Maryland; a Master of Music in Voice Performance from University of Toronto; and, a Bachelor of Music, Distinction in Voice from McGill University. A passionate and energetic teacher, she received a 2009 Award for Teaching Excellence for her work at the University of Maryland.

Schiel has performed with numerous orchestras in the Pacific Northwest including: Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, Rainer Symphony Orchestra, Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Seattle. She has performed at Aspen Summer Music Center, Tanglewood Music Center, Boris Brott Festival, Northwest Mahler Festival and Mountain View International Festival of Song.

On the stage, she has sung Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Olga (Eugene Onegin), The Fox (The Cunning Little Vixen), Maddelena (Rigoletto), Zita (Gianni Schicchi), Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti), The Old Lady (Candide) and Mrs. Herring (Albert Herring). Schiel has also performed numerous oratorio works including: Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bruckner’s Te Deum, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Passionate about early music, Dr. Schiel enjoys frequent collaborations with the CWU baroque ensemble Musica Antiqua.

Her performance highlights include: Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’éte, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, De Falla’s El Amor Brujo, Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs, Mahler’s Symphony No.2, and Verdi’s Requiem. In 2007, she premiered the role of Estelle Oglethorpe in Later the Same Evening: an opera by American composer John Musto. The opera was inspired by the art work of American painter Edward Hopper which was presented in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Her recent performances in the 2016-17 season include: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Yakima Symphony and Schubert’s Rosamunde with Orchestra Seattle and Seattle Chamber Singers.

Dr. Melissa Schiel is a continuing member of the Voice Foundation and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). In 2010, she was a chosen participant of the NATS Internship Program at Stetson University. Currently, she is President of the Inland Empire Regional Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and remains an active recitalist, adjudicator, and clinician throughout the region.