BIOGRAPHY
Greek American violinist Stefanos Melas, PhD is a musician with extensive experience as a performer and educator. He made his solo debut at age seventeen, performing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra. Stefanos has since made solo appearances at numerous venues throughout the United States, including Carnegie Hall. He has won prizes at the Atlanta Federation of Musicians Scholarship Competition, Dallas Symphonic Festival Competition, GWUC Chicago National Music Competition, and the North Texas Music Competition among others.
Stefanos attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received the Presidential Merit Award. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts as a student of Shmuel Ashkenasi and Robert Chen. Stefanos received his Master of Music degree from New York University (NYU) under Naoko Tanaka as a Steinberg Scholarship recipient. He later obtained the Professional Studies Diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on a Presidential Scholarship as a student of Alexander Barantschik.
Stefanos earned a PhD in Music Performance from The University of Queensland in Australia on a full scholarship sponsored by the Australian Government. His thesis on Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade included the participation of Jamie Bernstein, Glenn Dicterow, and Midori. Stefanos had the opportunity to study the Serenade with Midori in Los Angeles while undertaking his research. His thesis was accompanied by a performance of the work with The University of Queensland Symphony Orchestra at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in the Vice-Chancellor's Concert Series.
Stefanos has spent summers studying with Masao Kawasaki at the Aspen Music Festival, Joan Kwuon at the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Linda Cerone at the Encore School for Strings. He has additionally received chamber music instruction from members of the Cavani, Cleveland, and Miami quartets. His non-classical collaborations have led to performances with Bruce Springsteen and The Eagles. Stefanos has taught extensively in New York City, including through the Research Foundation of the City University of New York. He has also served as a member of the adjunct violin faculty at New York University and The University of Queensland.
Stefanos is available for virtual instruction nationwide. He additionally provides consultation and editing services related to music dissertations and publications. A native of Atlanta, he currently resides in Boston.
