Hailed for her animated and energetic characters, strong connection to the text, and deft comic timing, emerging soprano Melanie Shank graduated with honors in May 2016 with her Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from the Crane School of Music, State University at Potsdam in the studio of Deborah Massell. She is currently based in New York City.
In October 2016 Melanie made her New York City premiere with Opera Company of Brooklyn as Janthe in Der Vampyr.
In her last semester at Crane, Melanie participated as a Daughter in Quilters: The Musical. Quilters is a vignette musical which features the true stories of pioneer women through 16 short scenes with all the roles played by Sarah, the narrator, and her six daughters. The show was a collaboration between Crane Opera Ensemble, Community Performance Series, and the Department of Theater and Dance. In addition to four sold out performances at the SUNY Potsdam Blackbox Theater, also toured the North Country with performances at Pendragon Theater in Saranac Lake, Clayton Opera House in Clayton, NY, and Loweville Historical Society in Loweville, NY.
Melanie has been studying voice for over twelve years, with former teachers including Carol Randles and Frances Wittmann. She graduated summa cum laude in May 2012 from the University at Albany with a double major in voice performance and psychology. While at Albany, she performed in many opera scenes, musical theater productions, and recitals. In addition, she was the featured soprano soloist with University at Albany Chorale and ORochester for several oratorios under the direction of the late David Janower. Performances as soprano soloist with the Chorale include Brahm’s German Requiem in 2012, Mozart’s Coronation Mass in 2011, Schubert’s Mass in G Major in 2011, and Horatio Parker’s Hora Novissima in 2010. In February of 2012, Melanie sang the role of “Filia” in an English language premiere of Carissimi’s The Oratorio of Jephthah with the University at Albany Chamber Singers. As part of a memorial concert for David Janower, Melanie returned to sing as soprano soloist with the University at Albany Chorale in May 2015 in Beethoven’s Chorale Fantasy under the direction of William Gray.
Melanie is also an active soloist, soloing with the Octavo Singers, under the direction of Curtis Funk, for three Mozart Regina Coelis in the “Musical Bookends” concert. She also soloed for two Bach cantatas with the Burnt Hills Oratorio Society, under the direction of Sue Fedak in “Celestial Melodies and Eternal Harmonies: The Music of Britten and Bach” concert in November 2013.
In addition to extensive scene work during her undergraduate and graduate career, Melanie has worked in the local artistic community on full productions. Operatic roles include Sister Constance in Dialogues of the Carmelites (Resonanz Albany Summer Music Festival), and Suora Infermiera in Suor Angelica (Mosaic Arts). Partial roles include Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito (Crane School of Music), Susannah in Le Nozze di Figaro (Crane School of Music), Marguerite in Faust (University at Albany), Lucy in The Telephone (University at Albany), and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel (University at Albany).
This past summer, Melanie fully immersed herself in the musical theater world, by participating as member of the 2015 College Light Opera Company season in Falmouth, MA. Featured roles included Lady Battersby in Me and My Girl, Lady Eleanor Widener in Titanic, and Ellen in Oklahoma.
As a part of the First Reformed Church of Scotia concert series, Melanie performed a solo recital in October 2013 entitled “Relationships 101-The Dos and Don’ts of a Classical Music Courtship.” In October 2012, she performed a solo recital for the Tuesdays at Noon concert series at St. Paul’s Cathedral. She was also selected to perform in the ENY/NATS honors recital in both 2010 and 2012.
Melanie was the recipient of the Walter Earle Hultberg scholarship at Crane School of Music and received the Douglas Malcom Hastings Award for Musical Excellence upon graduation from the University at Albany in 2012. A lover of Russian art song, she received third place in the Rachmaninov Competition in 2016 and second place in the Nadezhda Obukhova Competition in 2013. She was also selected as a First Round finalist in the Classical Singers Competition in 2016 and 2010, and was a finalist in Division A of the Civic Morning Musical Competition in 2010.
In addition to the recital stage, Melanie has sung for many professional and private events, including the Albany Chamber of Commerce Gala in March 2012, and the Albany Tulip Fest Luncheon in May 2011.
To broaden her overall awareness, Melanie has participated in several workshop intensives on Feldenkreis and Alexander Technique. As an auditor with the week-long Fall Island Program, led by Stephanie Blythe, in May 2015, she was able to attend masterclasses, recitals, lectures, and Q&A sessions to greatly expand her knowledge of American Art Song and performance in general.
Through participation in masterclasses, Melanie has worked with many esteemed artists including Darren Keith-Woods, Marni Nixon, Katherine Ciesinski, Hadley McCarrol, Roger Malouf, and Maria Todaro and Louis Otey, and has coached with Michael Clement, Arlene Shrut, Todd Sisley, Bethany Self and Roger Malouf.
Upcoming engagements are currently being finalized. More information can be found on the Engagements page.
Melanie Shank 