Melissa D'Albora

Melissa D’Albora’s music addresses mental health and political discourse, ranging from gun violence to women’s rights. Respire (2020) for flute and guitar is a reflection searching for inner peace. The piece received the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant and was premiered by Duo Sequenza in 2021. A Fantasy (2019), commissioned by Grammy-Award winning Seraphic Fire, addresses the expectations women face in society. South Florida Classical described her work as “an exploration of spatial harmonics that evidenced a sure command of writing for the voice.” Melissa’s works have been performed throughout the United States and Canada. Recent performances are Lava (2019) for solo flute at College Music Society Northeast Regional Conference and Heartsease (2023) for East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra.

Melissa holds two Bachelor of Music degrees in viola performance and composition at the University of Connecticut. She received her Master in Music Composition and Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Her composition mentors have been Dorothy Hindman, Kenneth Fuchs, and Charles Mason. Currently, Melissa serves as Millennium Composers Initiative’s EID Assistant Director and is working on her opera, Anything for Family, which examines the divide in women’s bodily rights.