MEET THE ARTIST

Melissa Foster is a Professor of Instruction in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University, specifically teaching voice and topics in musical theatre such as Pop/Rock Musicals. At Northwestern, she is the recipient of both the 2021 Galbut Outstanding Faculty Award and the 2022 Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction Award. She values her time inside the classroom just as much as she does outside, and simultaneously serves as 1 of 5 Faculty in Residence on Northwestern’s campus, mentoring students via their residential experience. When not at Northwestern, Melissa is a Resident Vocal Consultant for LYRIC UNLIMITED (a division of the Lyric Opera of Chicago), and teaches for the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University. She has been guest faculty for Broadway Evolved, Artsbridge, Broadway Breakthru, IHSTA, and ArtsLink. She has also taught countless masterclasses around the world. Highlights include: co-teaching a live-streamed, sold out masterclass with world-renowned opera legend Renee Fleming and recent talks at schools and conferences in San Francisco, New York City, Ithaca, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Madison, South Bend, Goshen, Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago, Birmingham, Palo Alto, Xi’an, and Hong Kong. Foster has consulted for the companies of numerous National Tours, including Miss Saigon, Fiddler on the Roof, and A Bronx Tale, and has recently enjoyed consulting for pop/rock projects like working with the NPR Tiny Desk series and for the multi-Grammy winning band Coldplay. Beyond the world of education, she’s furiously trying to meet her deadline for her upcoming book Hip-Hop: Rap and R&B, A Performers Guide, which is expected to hit shelves in the Fall of 2023 (Rowman and LittleField Publisher). Foster currently lives in Evanston, IL, with her husband Matt Boresi, their 11-year-old daughter Vivian, and their 2 adorable bunnies, Cinna and Rue.