Melissa has been a music lover all her life. She began violin lessons at age ten, but switched to viola in college. She played in university and community orchestras in Wisconsin, Texas, Chicago, London, Santa Barbara, Davis, and Sacramento. A high point was a performance in The Royal Albert Hall in London, when combined orchestras and choruses performed the massive War Requiem by Benjamin Britten.

Since moving to Davis in 1998, Melissa played with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra and The Camellia Symphony (until 2017), played baroque violin with the UC Davis Baroque Ensemble for one year, and subbed with Solano Symphony. She attended chamber music workshops at Humboldt State, Sacramento State and in Santa Barbara. She taught violin and viola to beginning and intermediate students and occasionally worked in the Davis schools orchestra program. She studies with Ellen Ruth Rose, adjunct viola lecturer at UC Davis.

When not playing music, Melissa works as a nanny and tutor. She lives with her husband, a border collie and an adult daughter. She also is an avid reader and writer of creative non-fiction and is active in two weekly writing groups.

Melissa is a new member of Folsom Lake Symphony this season.