Melanie Woodruff, soprano, has been praised for her “agile coloratura and extensive range.” As one of three original singers in the Queen City Sisters 1940’s Singing Trio, the Cincinnati Opera Chorus, and Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, Melanie enjoys performing a variety of musical styles: opera, oratorio, jazz, and musical theater.
One of Ms. Woodruff’s notable opera credits is Mozart’s Queen of the Night in Magic Flute with Cincinnati Opera Outreach touring ensemble performing 40 performances in 28 days throughout the Tri-state area. Ms. Woodruff sang not only the role of Queen in that production, with “her sparkling and dangerous coloratura being spot on”, but also the 1st lady. She has been part of the AGMA chorus at Cincinnati Opera for the past three years which included the Pink Floyd opera United States premiere of Another Brick in the Wall. Ms. Woodruff has graced the stages of Tri-Cities opera, Bayview Music festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Miami University where her opera roles have included Königen/Die Zauberflöte, Gretel/Hansel & Gretel, Musetta/La Bohème, Clorinda/La Cenerentola, Susanna/Le Nozze di Figaro, Pèrichole/La Pèrichole, Mabel/Pirates of Penzance, and Dew Fairy/Hansel & Gretel. Melanie has completed young artists programs with Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, NY and Des Moines Metro opera where she competed against 800 singers to be a young artist covering Queen of the Night and participated in opera scenes and concert performances.
Ms. Woodruff is also an active performer in Musical Theater. As Marion in The Music Man, she “led with strong vocals and bold movement.” When she was a supporting role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kirk Sheppard of The Sappy Critic said: “I had a hard time NOT watching Melanie Woodruff (“The Butler”), because she has a special charisma that drew my attention throughout the show.” Other musical theater credits include Sister Sophia/The Sound of Music, Vivienne/Legally Blonde, Magnolia, in the concert version of Showboat, Adriana/Boys from Syracuse and Hedy LaRue/How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Melanie’s work in oratorio and recital repertoire have included the soprano solos in Handel’s Messiah, the Requiem by Gabriel Faure, the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 of Villa-Lobos, Ralph Vaugh Williams Dona Nobis Pacem, Lori Laitman’s I Never Saw Another Butterfly and “An Exploration of Song” recital with Salon 21.
Ms. Woodruff’s Awards and Recognitions include First place at the Ohio Federation of Music Competition; and a Two-Time First place Winner of the NATS Great Lakes Regional Voice Competition; being a Semi-Finalist in the Classical singer competition; and Encouragement award for the Kentucky District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions; Her education includes B.M. Voice performance and M.M. Voice performance from Miami University of Oxford, Ohio. She is a frequent adjudicator for the American Guild of Music competition.