Melissa Frisch is a St. Louis native and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at the University of Southern California, under the tutelage of Yehuda Gilad. In spring of 2022 she completed her undergraduate studies at DePaul University, where she studied with Stephen Williamson, Julie DeRoche, and Wagner Campos. 

Melissa has been a member of numerous musical ensembles throughout the American Midwest, including all of DePaul’s large ensembles, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Accompanietta, and the St. Louis Youth Symphony, in which she performed under the masterful conducting of Leonard Slatkin and Gemma New. Melissa is an avid proponent of contemporary music and currently performs with USC’s Thornton Edge ensemble, under the direction of Frank Ticheli and David Crockett. In 2019, Melissa was selected as a featured soloist with DePaul’s Wind Symphony under the baton of Erica Neidlinger. Melissa is a recurring member of the Domaine Forget Summer Woodwind program, in which she has studied extensively with Jean-Francois Normand, Todd Cope, and Stephane Fontaine. Melissa also holds a minor in the French language, and in her free time enjoys yoga, crocheting, thrifting, cooking, and trying new restaurants.