Houston violinist Melanie Riordan began playing the violin at the age of 10 in her hometown of New Rochelle, NY. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College, Melanie received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) where she studied with esteemed pedagogue Cyrus Forough. While at CMU, Ms. Riordan received the Harry G. Archer Award for Excellence in violin studies. She received her master’s in music at McGill University, studying with Toronto Symphony concertmaster Jonathan Crow. Riordan has attended the Spoleto Festival USA, Orchestre de la Francophonie, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival, among others. She has recently performed with the Houston-based early music ensembles Mercury Baroque and Ars Lyrica. A champion of contemporary music, Riordan was selected as one of two violinists to perform the world premiere of Marty Regan’s The Memory Stone, commissioned and produced by the Houston Grand Opera for their most recent season. She was also a member of the orchestra for the American premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s opera Emile, and Philip Glass’s Kepler at the Spoleto Festival USA in 2011 and 2012.
As an educator, Ms. Riordan maintains a large private studio of both violin and viola students. She offers lessons for students at all levels and ages. She currently teaches at Dulles Middle School, Jersey Village High School, and Klein Oak High School where she is a frequent clinician for both small and large ensembles.