Melissa Morales
Melissa Morales is a clarinetist and educator originally from the Greater New Orleans area currently serving as a doctoral student at the University of Maryland under the tutelage of professor Robert DiLutis. She is currently the artist in residence at Collington Continuing Care Retirement Community in Bowie, Maryland. She has served as the clarinetist for the Washington D.C chamber music collective Potomac Winds since 2016. The ensemble served as artists in residence in Talbot County for the 2017-2018 academic year, curated a concert series with Robert Harper Books in the fall of 2017, performed as part of the Riverdale Chamber Music Society, National Music Festival - Resonance Chamber Series, and was invited to perform at Forum Cultural Guanajuato in Leon City, Mexico. Morales currently serves as second clarinet with the Apollo Orchestra. She has performed at the Kennedy Center in DC and Symphony Center in Chicago.
From 2016-2018, Morales served as the Clarinet Graduate Assistant and currently serves as the School of Music Liason for The Clarice Performing Arts Center. As a clarinet GA she taught all music minors and the noontime recital hour for the winds and percussion division, maintained the studio library, assisted with entrance auditions, and managed the 2016 UMD Clarinet Symposium. At The Clarice she creates classroom materials to accompany K12 student programming, creates marketing materials for UMD student events, collects data to track audience cultivation, and serves as an event manager for several workshops and activities within the Artist Partner Program, including the National Orchestral Institute+Festival. For the festival she manages visiting artists, assists with donor events, and coordinates local family concerts, while also providing support for workshops and mentoring between festival attendees and local school aged performers. In her work for the Visiting Artist Series, she is currently helping curate a residency with Fifth House Ensemble that will span two seasons and engage several departments within The Clarice and UMD School of Music. Her work engages students within The Clarice, across campus, and in the community.
Prior to her time in Maryland, Morales spent several years in Chicago, IL where she worked with several organizations including The People's Music School as clarinet and music theory faculty as well as a project manager where she worked closely with Artistic Director and President Jennifer Matsuzawa, DePaul University where she served as an adjunct music education professor, and Chicago Symphonic Winds where she still works as the Director of Education. She was a regular member of the Chicago Summer Opera for their 2014-2016 seasons, and performed with the Lake Effect Clarinet Quartet for their 2015 season. In 2014 she was one of the winners of the 2014 Monroe Symphony League’s Marjorie Stricklin Emerging Artist Competition, and was a featured artist in the Trinity Presbyterian Young Artist Performance Series in New Orleans, LA.
She has also served as an assistant editor for the International Clarinet Association’s annual conference ClarinetFest® since 2014. Her publications can be found in their quarterly journal, The Clarinet.
Prior to her graduate and professional pursuits in Chicago, IL, Morales worked as a public school teacher in St. Tammany Parish from 2011-2013 while maintaining an active private studio and performing with groups such as the St. Luke's Chamber Orchestra, Five Reeds Trio, and soloing with several local band programs.
Morales graduated with Distinction with her Masters from DePaul University in 2015, and Cum Laude from Louisiana State University in 2011 with her Bachelors in Music Education where she was also named the Chancellor’s School of Music Outstanding Student in 2008. Her musical mentors include Robert DiLutis, Julie DeRoche, Larry Combs, Wagner Campos, Stephen Williamson, Dr. James Byo, and Paul Frechou.
When not working with her clarinet students at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, the university, her home studio, or managing the inventory for Lohff & Pfeiffer USA, LLC, she can be found enjoying one of DC’s fine coffee shops.
From 2016-2018, Morales served as the Clarinet Graduate Assistant and currently serves as the School of Music Liason for The Clarice Performing Arts Center. As a clarinet GA she taught all music minors and the noontime recital hour for the winds and percussion division, maintained the studio library, assisted with entrance auditions, and managed the 2016 UMD Clarinet Symposium. At The Clarice she creates classroom materials to accompany K12 student programming, creates marketing materials for UMD student events, collects data to track audience cultivation, and serves as an event manager for several workshops and activities within the Artist Partner Program, including the National Orchestral Institute+Festival. For the festival she manages visiting artists, assists with donor events, and coordinates local family concerts, while also providing support for workshops and mentoring between festival attendees and local school aged performers. In her work for the Visiting Artist Series, she is currently helping curate a residency with Fifth House Ensemble that will span two seasons and engage several departments within The Clarice and UMD School of Music. Her work engages students within The Clarice, across campus, and in the community.
Prior to her time in Maryland, Morales spent several years in Chicago, IL where she worked with several organizations including The People's Music School as clarinet and music theory faculty as well as a project manager where she worked closely with Artistic Director and President Jennifer Matsuzawa, DePaul University where she served as an adjunct music education professor, and Chicago Symphonic Winds where she still works as the Director of Education. She was a regular member of the Chicago Summer Opera for their 2014-2016 seasons, and performed with the Lake Effect Clarinet Quartet for their 2015 season. In 2014 she was one of the winners of the 2014 Monroe Symphony League’s Marjorie Stricklin Emerging Artist Competition, and was a featured artist in the Trinity Presbyterian Young Artist Performance Series in New Orleans, LA.
She has also served as an assistant editor for the International Clarinet Association’s annual conference ClarinetFest® since 2014. Her publications can be found in their quarterly journal, The Clarinet.
Prior to her graduate and professional pursuits in Chicago, IL, Morales worked as a public school teacher in St. Tammany Parish from 2011-2013 while maintaining an active private studio and performing with groups such as the St. Luke's Chamber Orchestra, Five Reeds Trio, and soloing with several local band programs.
Morales graduated with Distinction with her Masters from DePaul University in 2015, and Cum Laude from Louisiana State University in 2011 with her Bachelors in Music Education where she was also named the Chancellor’s School of Music Outstanding Student in 2008. Her musical mentors include Robert DiLutis, Julie DeRoche, Larry Combs, Wagner Campos, Stephen Williamson, Dr. James Byo, and Paul Frechou.
When not working with her clarinet students at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, the university, her home studio, or managing the inventory for Lohff & Pfeiffer USA, LLC, she can be found enjoying one of DC’s fine coffee shops.
| Melissa Morales Resume |
