ABOUT
Mezzo soprano Melinda Martinez Becker is a multi-faceted performer singing a diverse repertoire of Renaissance, Baroque, and contemporary classical works, as well as French, Spanish and Ladino art song. As a soloist and chamber musician, she is recognized for her interpretations of various styles of music: "Throughout the program, mezzo-soprano Becker effortlessly switched tracks, from light Baroque singing to all the various demands of the new works". (San Francisco Classical Voice) She is known for her "...notably expressive" vocal talents "particularly in light of all the styles she ha[s] to negotiate". (The Rehearsal Studio) In addition to performing throughout the Bay Area, she has performed throughout Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Austria, and France.
Through her passion for chamber music, she is a founding member of New Moon Duo with pianist Anne Rainwater, as well as Renegade Duo with guitarist Jon Mendle, a collaboration dedicated to performing uncommon and rarely heard repertoire for guitar and voice. As the vocalist of the all-female Baroque quartet Liaison Ensemble, she brings historically-informed performances of predominantly women composers throughout history to a wide range of audiences in non-traditional venues.
Melinda’s recent projects have included collaborations with The Hurd Ensemble, Helia Music Collective, the Musical Art Quintet, Phonochrome, Oakland-based Jazz band RDL+, Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat, and as a soloist with Classical Revolution Orchestra's performance of Beethoven Symphony No. 9 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.
Her operatic performances with companies such as Opera San Jose and Bayshore Lyric Opera have seen her in roles including Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Nireno in Giulio Cesare, the Page in Rigoletto, and First Spirit in The Magic Flute. Other roles performed include Anne Frank in Yours, Anne, and Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors.
Melinda earned her Master of Music Degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music studying vocal performance with Catherine Cook. She continued on to the Conservatoire de Strasbourg in France to pursue her interest in chamber music. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music, and a Masters degree in Education from Santa Clara University. Through Project Canción Española, she studied and performed Spanish chamber music and art song at the Escuela Superior de Canto in Madrid and Música en Compostela in Santiago de Compostela.
An active educator, Melinda has taught at Marymount California University, Université de Strasbourg in France, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, the French American International School and the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts. Melinda is currently on music faculty at Dominican University of California and maintains an active private teaching studio in San Francisco.
Through her passion for chamber music, she is a founding member of New Moon Duo with pianist Anne Rainwater, as well as Renegade Duo with guitarist Jon Mendle, a collaboration dedicated to performing uncommon and rarely heard repertoire for guitar and voice. As the vocalist of the all-female Baroque quartet Liaison Ensemble, she brings historically-informed performances of predominantly women composers throughout history to a wide range of audiences in non-traditional venues.
Melinda’s recent projects have included collaborations with The Hurd Ensemble, Helia Music Collective, the Musical Art Quintet, Phonochrome, Oakland-based Jazz band RDL+, Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat, and as a soloist with Classical Revolution Orchestra's performance of Beethoven Symphony No. 9 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.
Her operatic performances with companies such as Opera San Jose and Bayshore Lyric Opera have seen her in roles including Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Nireno in Giulio Cesare, the Page in Rigoletto, and First Spirit in The Magic Flute. Other roles performed include Anne Frank in Yours, Anne, and Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors.
Melinda earned her Master of Music Degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music studying vocal performance with Catherine Cook. She continued on to the Conservatoire de Strasbourg in France to pursue her interest in chamber music. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music, and a Masters degree in Education from Santa Clara University. Through Project Canción Española, she studied and performed Spanish chamber music and art song at the Escuela Superior de Canto in Madrid and Música en Compostela in Santiago de Compostela.
An active educator, Melinda has taught at Marymount California University, Université de Strasbourg in France, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, the French American International School and the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts. Melinda is currently on music faculty at Dominican University of California and maintains an active private teaching studio in San Francisco.