Recent and Current Events
Melissa's current events
Melissa's current 2026 projects and events
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Three Dances for Violin and Piano, and the quintet Troops based on emails written during the ICE raids in the Midwest, will be premiered on a concert at Opera America on October
30th, 2026. This concert will feature the music of Melissa Shiflett, Anna Maria Manalo and Rex Benincasa.
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Di.vi.sion announces the release of its next album: ‘On March 20, 2026, Five for the Planet will be released on Albany Records. Five for the Planet is a commissioning project designed to present a discussion about climate change through music. This project brought together a fantastic group of composers and musicians’, including Melissa Shiflett’s The Memory of Elephants for voice and piano.
https://www.albanyrecords.com/catalog/troy2017/
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Recent projects and events
2025
2024
New release by PARMA Recordings, June 14, 2024: The Music of Melissa C. Shiflett featuring: The Rose Saga and The Horses’ Quintet. (include link to CD)
A new commission: di.vi.sion. presents FIVE FOR THE PLANET, new works reflecting on the effects of climate change on nature and the environment including Melissa Shiflett’s The Memory of Elephants for voice and piano. Premiered in October 2024 at Opera America’s Marc A. Scorca Hall, NYC. Funded by the Bronx Cultural Visions Fund, a regrant program of the Bronx Council on the Arts.
2023
The Horse Quintet for Piano, Violin, Cello, English Horn, and Percussion Composed for the Bronx Piano Trio: di.vi.sion. Premiered September 9, 2023, Opera
America, NYC.
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The completion of The Rose Saga video recording project with Denver singer/actors Phoenix Gayles, Joshua Zabatta, pianist Anna Maria Manalo, and videographer Pete Rishel.
And, New York City singer/actors Michelle Seipel, Rachel Arky, Lianne Gennaco, pianist Elizabeth Rodgers, and videographer Kurt Briggs. (See website for more details.)
2022
Three Pieces for Piano Solo: The Birds at North Pond, composed for Anna Maria Manalo, was premiered July 16th, 2022 at the Blue Gallery in Manhattan, and recorded on August 6th, 2022 by Kurt Briggs Productions (see website under Chamber music) The Rose Saga II, performed by Mezzo-Soprano Rachel Arky and Pianist Elizabeth Rodgers in An Afternoon at Bruce’s Garden, Saturday, August 27, 2022, Park Terrace E., NYC.
2021
The ECU College of Fine Arts & Communication A.B.I.D.E. Committee (Access, Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity) announced their support of New Voices from Shropshire: a commissioning, recording, and publishing project originated by ECU Assistant Professorof Vocal Studies Dr. Daniel Shirley. New Voices from Shropshire seeks to reengage the poetry of A.E. Housman (1859-1936) for the modern art song recital. Fifteen new Housman settings for tenor & piano have been composed by an aesthetically and culturally diverse range of American composers.
The 15 composers contributing new art songs to the project are Matt Boehler, Juliana Hall, Kamala Sankaram, Tom Cipullo, Melinda Wagner, Travis Alford, Mark Taggart, Andre Myers, Mark Richardson, Scott Gendel, Edward Jacobs, Michael Slayton, Melissa Shiflett, Fahad Siadat, and Daniel Bernard Roumain.
The new art songs were debuted in a live-streamed recital by Daniel Shirley, tenor, and Eric Stellrecht, pianist, in the fall of 2021. Future intended steps in New Voices from Shropshire include a commercial recording and published score. (see website More Songs page for audio of Ms. Shiflett’s On the Idle Hill of Summer)
Trio No. 2 was premiered by Di.vi.sion Concerts, Classical music in the Bronx on November 21, 2021 at the Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture. (see website Chamber page with counter numbers)
2020
Happiness Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello Composed for the Bronx Piano Trio: di.vi.sion. Premiered online in 2020 (include link to website chamber page with counter
numbers).
2019
My Undying Love: An Amusement, a one-hour opera, was produced by the American Chamber Opera Company, and given its first full production with three performances at
University Settlement in New York City, June 21st-23rd, 2019. (see operas on website)
The Rose Saga I, II and III had its Colorado premiere at the Denver Wash Park Center for the Arts and Music, produced by AMMusika, performed by pianist Anna Maria Manalo,
sopranos Cassidy Boone and Phoenix Gayles, and tenor Joshua Zabatta on August 23rd, 2019. (see Rose Saga page of website)