Our resident cello virtuoso, Melanie is classically trained, holding a Bachelor Degree in Music Performance from Northern Arizona University. Though a native Arizonan, she has lived in New York City and has toured Europe, Canada and the United States. She has held Principal positions with the New York Festival Orchestra, the Celebrity Symphony Orchestra, the Koscuiszko Opera Orchestra, the Staten Island Symphony, the New York Symphony and the New York Chamber Symphony.
Melanie’s playing has been featured in 944 Magazine, Desert Living Magazine, The Arizona Republic and Maui Times. She can also be heard in many commercials and videos such as Catholics Come Home, The Muscular Dystrophy Association and The Arizona Music Project—a collaboration of local musicians commissioned by The Arizona Office of Tourism and endorsed by former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.
Melanie has shared the stage with notable artists such as Clay Aiken, Il Divo, Mannheim Steamroller, Jackie Evancho, Seal, John Fogerty, DJ Radar and William Joseph.
Although her background is classical, Melanie loves to cut loose on her electric cello with Urban Electra. It allows her to interact with the audience in a way that classical playing cannot. She truly identifies with Urban Electra’s high-energy performance style.