National Youth Opera Academy

We can’t wait for this one! From the Director’s Chair- Telling Stories That Matter: Resident Stage Director at The Santa Fe Opera and House Assistant Director of The Metropolitan Opera, Melanie Bacaling shares her approach to storytelling through opera and theater, exploring how collaboration, perspective, and authenticity bring depth to every production and empower artists to find their own voice in the creative process.

Originally from Chicago, IL, Melanie Bacaling (she/her) is an active Stage Director and Artistic Collaborator in the opera industry. She is currently on the Stage Directing Staff at The Metropolitan Opera and serves as Santa Fe Opera’s House Assistant Director. She has training in Intimacy Directing and she is passionate about creating actively inclusive artistic spaces, interrogating what it takes to decolonize the rehearsal room.

Ms. Bacaling holds production credits with Lyric Opera of Chicago, LA Opera, Seattle Opera, Detroit Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Garsington Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Omaha, Washington Concert Opera, Aspen Opera Center, Sun Valley Music Festival, The Boston Conservatory, and Longy School of Music.

As a Producer, Ms. Bacaling worked with Boston Lyric Opera to create We Need to Listen, a series of conversations highlighting the racial inequities that exist in classical music and opera. Also with BLO, she curated and produced BLO’s podcast at its (s)core, which seeks to delve into the inner workings of the opera industry and highlight voices of BLO’s BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities.

Trained as a vocalist and pedagogue, Ms. Bacaling holds a BM in Voice and BS in Psychology from the University of Evansville, as well as an MM in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory.
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