Melanie Unseld

Melanie Unseld, Professor of Musicology at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw), is a leading scholar in the rediscovery of 18th-century composer Marianna Martines. At the June 2025 Klänge aus dem Großen Michaelerhaus Festival in Vienna's St. Michael's Parish, she organizes events centered on Martines' life and works, including a staged revival of the oratorio Isacco figura del Redentore at Theater an der Wien. Her research bridges historical musicology with cultural transfer studies, emphasizing Martines' unique position as a female composer mentored by Pietro Metastasio and Haydn in pre-academy Vienna.

• Specializes in 18th-century Viennese music culture
• Focuses on informal education networks and salon practices
• Challenges static narratives of Viennese Classicism through Martines' interdisciplinary context

Univ.-Prof. Unseld's work with the Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich series (2025) marks the first inclusion of a female composer in this prestigious 1893-founded scholarly edition. Her festival collaborations with the Alma Mahler Philharmonie and St. Michael's Church highlight the integration of historical sites with modern performance practices.