معرفی
Melina Esse is an Associate Professor of Musicology at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. Her research focuses on the intersections of gender, materiality, and performance in 19th- and 20th-century opera, with special attention to improvisation, vocal techniques, and the role of female performers. She has held fellowships at the Townsend Center for the Humanities and received major awards including the 2020 Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Award for her book Singing Sappho.
Education:
- PhD in Music History and Literature, University of California, Berkeley (recognized for excellence in teaching)
Research Interests: Professor Esse explores themes such as the improvvisatrice (female poetic improviser), opera’s relationship with film and technology, and the emotive body in performance. She has published extensively on operatic collaboration, gender politics in compositions like Gounod’s Sapho, and the cultural role of divas such as Farrar in Carmen.
Recent Trends in Publications: Her work bridges musicology with gender studies and literary history, often analyzing how improvisation shaped compositional authority despite its decline. Recent articles address historical performance practices, liveness in opera, and the psychological dimensions of Verdi’s vocal writing.
Awards & Fellowships:
- 2020 Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Award (University of Chicago Press)
- 2014 Einstein Award (American Musicological Society)
- 2010 NEH Summer Stipend
- 2018 Bridging Fellowship (Dance and Movement Program)
Teaching & Mentorship: At Eastman, she teaches courses on opera history, visual spectacle, and 19th-century vocal performance. Her advisees have explored topics ranging from early music revivals to jazz traditions. She has also contributed pre-concert lectures at the San Francisco and Minnesota Operas.
Labs/Programs: Engaged with Eastman’s interdisciplinary initiatives, including the Bridging Fellowship in Dance and Movement, integrating performative studies across disciplines.
