Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, mezzo-soprano Melanie Dubil strives to contribute to experiences in which the world of classical vocal music can be relatable, accessible, and cathartic.
Melanie’s most recent operatic credits include The Pirates of Penzance (Edith) and Street Scene (2nd Nursemaid) with Central City Opera, and Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira), and Cinderella (Angelina) with Opera Colorado. Previously, Melanie appeared in Roméo et Juliette (Stéphano), Kiss Me, Kate (Wardrobe Lady/Chorus), and Heggie’s Two Remain (Edka) as Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Young Artist with Central City Opera. Alongside Bard College Conservatory’s The Orchestra Now (TŌN) and the Graduate Vocal Arts Program, Melanie appeared in Iolanthe (Queen of the Fairies), The Cunning Little Vixen (Lapák/Mrs. Pásková), Seven Deadly Sins (Anna I), and The Medium (Mrs. Nolan).
Melanie is also recognized for her work in cabaret and musical theatre repertoire. In 2020, she was awarded an Emerging Artist Award in the Lotte Lenya Competition and starred in a virtual production of the musical 110 in the Shade (Lizzie) with the Chautauqua Institute. Melanie was also featured in Songs From The Real World alongside Stephanie Blythe and the Bard Vocal Arts Program (2021). Most recently, Melanie sang a recital highlighting French cabaret music as part of Central City Opera’s annual Lunch & a Song series.
In concert, Melanie appeared at Carnegie Hall as a soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music under the baton of Leonard Slatkin at Manhattan School of Music's 2019 Centennial Gala, and sang the role of Historicus in Carissimi’s Jephte at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine under the baton of Kent Tritle (2018). Melanie made her Fisher Center debut as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah under the baton of Leon Botstein with TŌN (2021).
Melanie is passionate about exploring the art of song, especially in contemporary idioms by composers that best represent her. Growing up in an Armenian- and Ukrainian-American household, Melanie has always been curious about her ancestry and how she can learn more about it through her music-making. Last Spring, Melanie won first place in Art Song Colorado’s (ASC) 2024 Competition, and she will present a recital this November at the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Denver part of ASC’s song recital series, which will feature some of the iconic works of Armenian composer and ethnomusicologist Komitas Vardapet.
This Fall, Melanie looks forward to returning to Opera Colorado (OC) as an Artist-in-Residence singing The Marquise of Berkenfield in La fille du régiment for their annual student matinee performance, as well as touring in OC’s annual outreach productions: The Barber of Seville (Rosina) and Hansel and Gretel (Hansel).
Melanie holds degrees from Bard College Conservatory’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program (MM, 2022) and Manhattan School of Music (BM, 2020). Her affiliates include Richard Cox, Michael Baitzer, Stephanie Blythe, Brandon Eldredge, and Howard Watkins. Some of her biggest musical inspirations include Frederica von Stade, Audra McDonald, Lotte Lenya, Eartha Kitt, Édith Piaf, Cathy Berberian, and Komitas. Melanie has spent summers at the Chautauqua Institute of Music (2020-2021), Classic Lyric Arts in Novafeltria, Italy and St. Sabine Borne, France under the artistic direction of Glenn Morton (2018-2019), Classical Singing in New York in June (CSNY) (2019), and NYU’s Classical Voice Intensive (2015).
Photography by Micah Gleason