Melissa Fajardo
Senior Faculty
Mezzo-Soprano Melissa Fajardo is thrilled to be a part of the Cornerstone Music Studios family. A professional opera singer, Melissa has taught voice for several years, most recently as Adjunct Professor of Voice at the New World School of the Arts, Miami-Dade College's conservatory, in both the Theater and Music departments. Her studio comprised 26 students ranging from high school freshmen to college seniors, in both the classical and musical theatre styles. Melissa strives to create a positive and encouraging learning experience to help students produce a clear, efficient, and beautiful sound. In her time at New World, her students were accepted to Northwestern University, North Carolina School of the Arts, DePaul University, Oklahoma City University, and a plethora of other institutions.
Melissa’s professional singing has led to numerous apprenticeships throughout the country, as well as national and international engagements with the New York City Ballet, Florida Grand Opera, Portland Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Tulsa Opera, Opera North, and The Crested Butte Music Festival. Her favorite roles have been Maddalena in Rigoletto, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Filipyevna in Eugene Onegin, Lady with a Hat Box in Postcard from Morocco, the Page in Salome, and The Sea in Before Night Falls. This decade of performing has allowed her to work alongside performers of the highest caliber, for example, Denyce Graves, with whom Melissa was recently double cast in the role of Filipyevna at Florida Grand Opera.
A New Jersey native, Melissa attended Westminster Choir College receiving a Bachelor's of Music in Voice Performance and graduate studies brought her to The Eastman School of Music where she completed a Master's of Musician Voice Performance and Literature. She now lives in Hamilton Square with her husband and their fluffy puppy named Indy. They enjoy road trips, cooking elaborate dishes, and going on long hikes.
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” - Victor Hugo
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