Melanie grew up in Statesboro, Georgia and comes from a musical family. Throughout her childhood, she was involved in both piano and violin lessons, and she began playing French horn at age 11. She went on to receive her Bachelor of Music in French horn performance from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.
During her undergraduate years, she realized that she did not want to make a career as a performer, but she knew she had to be involved in the arts in a meaningful way. She began a few development internships at various different arts organizations in Cincinnati including concert:nova, Cincinnati Outreach Music Project, and the Cincinnati Opera.
Melanie knew she wanted to further her education in order to most effectively execute these administrative roles she was taking on, so she decided to pursue a master’s degree in Arts Administration, also from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. She is currently finishing up her first of two years in the program, and by the time she graduates next April, she will have earned both a Master of Arts and a Master of Business Administration.
At the start of her first year in the Arts Administration program, she decided to venture outside of the world of development by way of a diversified internship with the Cincinnati Opera. In this internship, she works in development, marketing, and education & outreach simultaneously. This has been an eye-opening experience for Melanie as she has discovered the deep passion that she possesses for arts outreach.
Melanie is thrilled to have the opportunity to work at the National Repertory Orchestra this summer as the Artistic and Education Intern.