NY Classical Honors Joan Melton Virtual Gala 2022
(Aria Shaghasemi, Jonathan Forbes, Andrew Sellon, and Eden Brolin in Shakespeare’s production of Hamlet. (© Will O’Haire))
Hamlet
Artistic Director, Sean Hagerty - Music Director/Voice & Speech Coach, Joan Melton
“The performers communicate across the vast expanse of the church with their voices ricocheting off the high ceiling beams… Everyone had wrestled with the iambic and came out on top…we are not alienated by the language, but rather engaged by it as the text comes to life with crystal clear meaning, emotion and intention.
Joan Melton’s music and musical direction takes you on an epic emotional journey of insane highs and lows—tearing at your heartstrings ruthlessly.”
Hamlet at Grace Church - Jacquelyn Claire, Stage Biz - March 31, 2019
Joan trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London, holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music from the University of Mississippi, Oxford.
She started life as a child prodigy classical pianist, was the youngest soloist ever to play with the North Carolina Symphony, age 8, and continued to perform with orchestras and in solo recitals throughout her youth. She was a recipient of the Paderewski Gold Medal, and received the first scholarship ever awarded by the National Guild of Piano Teachers.
She has taught at leading centers of drama and music in the US, UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand, and has been a performer, vocal coach and/or music director on productions in virtually all media. from daytime television to music theatre, and new music premiers to panoramic theatre in Central Park. Joan is a published author and composer and serves on the editorial board of Australian Voice, Journal of the Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing (ANATS).
From 1993 – 96, she was Executive Director, Voice, of Professional Edge, a national consulting firm for business professionals, and from 1996 – 2002, she was on the voice team of the Center for Voice, Western Medical, Santa Ana, CA.
During 2007 – 2013, she led exploratory research projects in the UK and Australia, focusing on breath management strategies of elite vocal performers across a wide range of performance genres. She now heads One Voice Centre for Integrative Studies, currently based in NYC, with co-founder Jennie Morton, osteopath, dancer, and specialist in Performing Arts Medicine.
Joan is well known for her brilliant voice/speech coaching, original music, and music direction of Shakespeare plays. Since 2007, she has coached for NY Classical Theatre in the parks of New York City and more recently in online productions. In 2019, she was on staff for Hamlet, the initial production of Shakespeare@, Jersey City, NJ, and subsequently wrote original music for radio productions of Richard II (2020), The Tempest (2020) and Julius Caesar (2021), also with Shakespeare@ and international casts.
Shakespeare@
Photo by Cheryl Giambitti Smith
“…for her seasons of steadfast commitment, years of Voice and Speech excellence, and unwavering support.”