History & bio

"I grew up singing solos and leading worship in church. Attending Montgomery College is how I discovered the idea of a music major. The college gave me opportunities to solo with the chorus, chamber singers, Latin band, Jazz ensemble, and world ensemble. Next, I went to Towson University for voice performance and music education. This was my first exposure to opera productions and formal educator training.  During this period, I worked for many churches of Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Episcopalian denominations. The services included Latin chants, church choir repertoire, and sacred vocal solos. I began teaching voice and guitar to kids, I conducted a children's choir, and I completed student teaching for my degree. Finally, I moved to Denver for my master's degree where I worked with several opera companies outside of school, led praise & worship for church services,  and started working for Jewish temples. During the pandemic, my voice studio grew immensely and I enhanced my virtual teaching methods. My interest remained in oratorio repertoire and apart from singing solos in concert, I conducted several choral ensembles. I'm very grateful for my journey so far and I can't wait to see what is next."

Sheila Melendez is a Honduran-American conductor and soloist from Silver Spring, Maryland. She served as the Music Director for the Silver Singers Community Choir at The Ridge Pinehurst, Assistant Director for Vittoria Ensemble, Director of Choirs and Soulstice Treble Choir for Trinity United Methodist Church, and Conducting intern for St Martin's Chamber Choir. Currently, she directs the church choir at Shepherdstown Presbysterian Church.

As a conductor, Ms. Melendez has performed Schubert’s Mass in G,  Rutter’s Gloria, excerpts from Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Monteverdi's Magnificat. She was a guest conductor for Stratus Orchestra where she conducted Telemann's Trumpet Concerto in C. She also participated in the Cascade Conducting program with excerpts from Fauré's Requiem and Handel's Messiah.

Ms. Melendez has been a soloist for Bach’s Magnificat, Mozart's Missa Brevis in F, Haydn's Creation, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Rutter’s Gloria, and Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living to name a few. Her opera roles include Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Belinda in Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas. She has performed with Boulder Opera, Denver Immersive Opera, and Lamont Opera Theatre. Her music theatre roles include Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes and Maria in West Side Story.

As a diverse performer, she sings for open mics and jazz jams. She teaches voice in any genre that interests the student including rap, R&B, and rock. She used to rap with a local MD group called Operation Change Music. She is currently working on an original album that includes tracks in multiple genres and explores how rhythm creates interest in the music rather than complex harmonies. 

Ms. Melendez graduated from the University of Denver with a Master’s degree in Voice Performance and Choral Conducting. She earned a dual Bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance and Music Education from Towson University. Her mentors include Dr. Catherine Sailer, Dr. David McNeil, Dr. Brian Dukeshier, and Dr. Molly Donnelly.