Melanie Day

Melanie Kohn Day graduated from Maryville College and then received two Master of Music degrees from Boston University and a Diploma from the Franz-Schubert Institut in Austria. She served on the faculty of Boston University’s opera department, as coach/chorusmaster for Boston Concert Opera and coach for the Tanglewood Music Festival. In addition to performing in Carnegie Recital Hall, The Athenaeum in Boston, The National Cathedral, The French Embassy and The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on numerous occasions, Ms. Day was a United States Artistic Ambassador to South America where she presented sixteen concerts and three masterclasses with soprano Lisa Edwards-Burrs. By invitation of the Costa Rican Cultural Center and Coca-Cola International, she presented concerts and masterclasses throughout Costa Rica with mezzo-soprano Karen Lykes. Ms. Day was the Artistic Director of the Lyric Arts Ensemble and served as Music Director of the James River Opera Company. She was Coach-Accompanist for the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy. After six years as the Principal Coach for Operafestival di Roma, Ms. Day was named Artistic Director of the program in 2005, a position she held until 2011. She has accompanied masterclasses for Sherill Milnes, Nico Castel, Joan Dornemann, Hans Hotter, Irmgaard Seefried, Walter Berry, Jörg Demus, Dalton Baldwin, Erik Werba, Mignon Dunn, Shirley Verrett, Martin Katz, Arlene Shrut, Elizabeth Vrenios, and Peter Mark. Ms. Day has taught summer lecture courses in affiliation with The Santa Fe Opera. At Virginia Commonwealth University, Ms. Day is Artistic Director of VCU Opera, Instructor for History of the Art Song, Voice Masterclass, and Vocal Coach. Many of Ms. Day’s former students are now singing in opera houses throughout the world.