Melanie Riordan

Melanie Riordan
MM, McGill University
Adjunct Instructor

Areas of Expertise:
Violin

Email: riordanm@fau.edu
Office Phone: 561.297.3820
Office: AH 119

Violinist Melanie Riordan is a unique performer and passionate educator currently based in South Florida. For the last decade she has devoted her time and energy into spreading the joy of music and art through her versatile performances and strong educational efforts. An avid advocate of contemporary classical music, she has premiered dozens of works by both emerging and established composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Composers she has worked with include Christopher Theofanidis, David Lang, Annie Gosfield, Matthias Pintscher, and Peter Eötvös among others. She has had the privilege of performing with members of 8th Blackbird, the Bang on a Can All-stars, the Philip Glass Ensemble, and the Silk Road Ensemble as well as visionaries Rhiannon Giddens and Saul Williams. Some especially inspiring projects include performing in the American premier of Kaija Saariaho’s “Émilie” the Spoleto Festival USA and a performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s “Gruppen” under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. A versatile musician, Ms. Riordan has enjoyed playing in the traditional baroque style with the Houston Baroque ensembles Ars Lyrica and Mercury. Equally comfortable on pop/rock stages, Melanie particularly enjoyed performances with artists Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Michael Bolton, and Ledisi, and has performed folk music at the legendary Austin City Limits Music Festival.

As an educator, Melanie is passionate about using music as a way to uplift children. She was one of the first educators to launch the Houston Youth Symphony Coda Music program and has been a guest instructor for Sistemang Pilipino in Cebu City, Philippines, the Miami Music Project and the Nat King Cole “Generation Hope” music camp in partnership with Lynn University and the Plumosa School for the Arts. All of these programs are inspired by the famed Venezuelan music education program “El Sistema,” providing free music education and instruments to underprivileged and at-risk children. She received her pedagogical training from Mimi Zweig, Brenda Brenner, Rebecca Henry and Elizabeth Zemple at Indiana University and her Suzuki Violin Method Certification under the guidance of Charles Krigbaum at the Dallas-Fort Worth Suzuki institute. She is also highly influenced by her own violin teachers, Carole Cole, Kirsten Yon, Jonathan Crow and Cyrus Forough. Melanie is currently adjunct professor of violin at Florida Atlantic University and runs a private studio of young violinists in Palm Beach County.