Melissa Misener is a native of Tampa, FL and performs and directs opera regularly in the Tampa Bay area. Since 2012 she's been a member of the resident artists group known as the Opera Tampa Singers. She is also the Resident Stage director for Opera Tampa, directing many of the shows presented each season. She performed and directed extensively for 7 years as a resident artist for the St Petersburg Opera Company, playing roles such as Madame Flora in Menotti’s The Medium, Mrs. Mclean in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, Zita in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, Giovanna in Verdi’s Rigoletto and Mrs. Anderssen in A Little Night Music by Sondheim, The Narrator in Sondheim's Into the Woods and Maud Dunlop in The Music Man by Merideth Wilson. Roles she’s covered with SPO are Mrs. Lovett in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus and Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte and Bloody Mary in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific.
Other local roles Melissa has played include Amahl’s mother in Mennoti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. Melissa proudly played leading roles in the world premieres of Tom Sivak’s new operas Dr. Dilagaff’s Baboon, Love v Death. And his wonderful musical Sunshine City.
As resident stage director for Opera Tampa she’s directed, Pirates of Penzance and Trial by Jury by Gilbert and Sullivan, the world premieres of both Lady Swanwhite by Anton Coppola, Chicken Little by Timothy Wilt. Other annual performances directed Misener at the Straz center include, the Witching Hour, Straz Live, A Night in Spain and an annual Christmas show. Melissa made her stage directing debut at USF with Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and was invited back to direct Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief, Michael Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight and various other staged shows and cabarets. She received great reviews for her direction of St Pete Opera Company’s productions of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio, Donezetti’s Elisir d'amore and Verdi’s La Traviata. She has gone on to direct shows for other local organizations. Melisa both starred in and Stage directed two productions of Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde playing the Role of Mrs. Noye. She has sung solos in countless sacred concerts, oratorios, masses etc. throughout the Tampa Bay area. Melissa has been teaching voice and performance to students of all ages and abilities since 1998.
Melissa Misener is a native of Tampa and is a Resident Artist of the St. Petersburg Opera Company. With
SPO she has played the roles of Mrs. McLean in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah 2014, Madame Flora in
Menotti’s The Medium 2013, Zita in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi 2011, Giovanna in Verdi’s Rigoletto 2011
and Mrs. Anderssen in A Little Night Music by Sondheim 2010. She was featured as the headliner in the
new annual SPO series “Late Night Cabaret” in 2015. She also sings in SPO’s crossover quartet
“Operatini” started in 2014 they perform consistently throughout the bay area all year long. As an
Emerging Artist with the St. Petersburg Opera Company she covered the roles of Mrs. Lovett in
Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd 2012, Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro 2012, Prince Orlofsky in
Strauss’s Die Fledermaus and Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte 2010.
Melissa sings regularly as a soloist with Opera Tampa as an Opera Tampa singer and has been since
2012. Melissa sang as a section leader with the Opera Tampa chorus under the direction of Anton
Coppola 2007‐2010 and she was featured in the 2009 production of Suor Angelica as “La Conversa”.
Melissa Misener made her professional opera directing debut last year with St. Petersburg Opera
Company’s Production of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. She began directing in the spring of 2013 with the USF
production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. She returned in 2014 to direct Menotti’s The Old Maid
and the Thief and in 2015 with Michael Ching’s new opera Speed Dating Tonight.
Most recently in the spring of 2015 Melissa directed and stared in two productions of Brittan’s Noye’s
Fludde with the Sarasota Choral Society, then at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in St Petersburg.
Melissa is the alto soloist and section leader at St Andrew’s Episcopal Church and has sung solos in
countless sacred concerts, oratorios, masses etc. throughout the Tampa Bay area. Melissa runs her own
voice studio in Tampa and enjoys teaching students of all ages.
Melissa Misener is a native of Tampa and is a Resident Artist of the St. Petersburg Opera Company. With
SPO she has played the roles of Mrs. McLean in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah 2014, Madame Flora in
Menotti’s The Medium 2013, Zita in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi 2011, Giovanna in Verdi’s Rigoletto 2011
and Mrs. Anderssen in A Little Night Music by Sondheim 2010. She was featured as the headliner in the
new annual SPO series “Late Night Cabaret” in 2015. She also sings in SPO’s crossover quartet
“Operatini” started in 2014 they perform consistently throughout the bay area all year long. As an
Emerging Artist with the St. Petersburg Opera Company she covered the roles of Mrs. Lovett in
Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd 2012, Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro 2012, Prince Orlofsky in
Strauss’s Die Fledermaus and Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte 2010.
Melissa sings regularly as a soloist with Opera Tampa as an Opera Tampa singer and has been since
2012. Melissa sang as a section leader with the Opera Tampa chorus under the direction of Anton
Coppola 2007‐2010 and she was featured in the 2009 production of Suor Angelica as “La Conversa”.
Melissa Misener made her professional opera directing debut last year with St. Petersburg Opera
Company’s Production of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. She began directing in the spring of 2013 with the USF
production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. She returned in 2014 to direct Menotti’s The Old Maid
and the Thief and in 2015 with Michael Ching’s new opera Speed Dating Tonight.
Most recently in the spring of 2015 Melissa directed and stared in two productions of Brittan’s Noye’s
Fludde with the Sarasota Choral Society, then at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in St Petersburg.
Melissa is the alto soloist and section leader at St Andrew’s Episcopal Church and has sung solos in
countless sacred concerts, oratorios, masses etc. throughout the Tampa Bay area. Melissa runs her own
voice studio in Tampa and enjoys teaching students of all ages.
