Melanie Chirignan

Flute player Melanie Chirignan is a chamber musician at her core. She loves to collaborate with other musicians and media to be expressive. She believes in Groupmuse house concerts and performing in non-traditional spaces to build community, speak about music, tell stories, and make music accessible to all. 

Melanie believes strongly in innovation, commissioning and premiering new music, and  is very grateful to have won grants from the Schenectady Community Arts Council, the Saratoga Community Arts Council, and the New York Women Composer's Seed Money Grant to bring these projects to life. She has worked with a multitude of composers on projects that speak to her including: Alex Ford's "Berus in the Woods" in collaboration with Electric City Puppets; Ralph Raymond Hays’ musicalization of the story "Keller's Heart" by John Gray; she has premiered music by Sean Pallatroni, Kary Contreras Galindo, Joshua Hummel, and made world premiere recordings of music for Masatora Goya's album, Dream Of Sailing, available on ITunes and Amazon; Nolan Stolz's Princess Ka'iulani, released on SCI/ Parma Recordings and "Latinos Ni de Aqui Ni de Alla'' on the Latin Heartbeat Orchestra album, El Regreso. She recently recorded "Radiations" an EP of partially improvised compositions with pianist Melinda Faylor, available on Band Camp. Currently, is recording an album of flute and guitar music by women composers with guitarist Scott Hill. As a member of the wind quintet Quintocracy, she premiered music for: the silent film Nosferatu by Sina Kiai, the silent film the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari by Brett Wery, the micro opera the Pedesterra Cycle by Brett Wery, Daniel Carr’s “Bright, Flashing Stars,” and presented a program of music by women composers at SUNY PAC. Melanie has collaborated extensively with Stringwynde, cellist Laura Melnicoff in their Duo Envol, jazz bass legend Nat Reeves,  Philadelphia Fife and Drum Corps, guitarist Oren Fader, pianist Max Caplan, and Alturas Duo.

Melanie loves to work as an orchestral player as well. She has performed with: the New York Chamber Players Orchestra, Albany Pro Musica, Octavo Chamber Orchestra, Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra, Garden State Philharmonic, the Chelsea Symphony, Gateway Classical Music Society, S.E.M. Ensemble, and Hartt Independent Chamber Orchestra. As a soloist, Melanie has been featured with the Chelsea Symphony, performing "Poem" by Charles Griffes. 

She has performed in a variety of inspiring venues including; Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Space, Opera America, the DiMenna Center, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Tenri Cultural Center, for Composer's Voice Concert Series, the Connecticut Guitar Society, the Windsor Historical Society, the New Britain Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and the Wadsworth Museum of Art.  

Melanie Chirignan is a teaching artist at heart. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in music performance and music education, graduating magna cum laude from SUNY Fredonia and a Master of Music in flute performance from the Hartt School. She has taught general music, chorus and orchestra to students ranging from elementary school to conservatory and college. She has taught workshops on the "Origins of South American Folk Music'' with the Alturas Duo.  She was an adjunct faculty member at the College of Saint Rose and maintains a busy private teaching studio in Schenectady, NY in addition to her busy performance schedule. As a member of Quintocracy she is an artist in residence at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and offers workshops for schools through BOCES.  She has co-taught with pianist Melanie Hardage Improvisation workshops at Big Picture Learning Schools this Fall thanks to a Schenectady Arts and Education grant.