About Me

Melissa Mony is rapidly developing a reputation as an exciting young soloist, composer and educator in the Australian music scene. She recently graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium where she studied a Batchelor of Music in Jazz Performance under the tutelage of notable Australian jazz musicians including David Theak, Col Loughlan, Simon Barker, Philip Slater, Judy Bailey, Craig Scott and Sandy Evans. Melissa aspires to further her academic music studies in Europe or America in the future.
 
In July 2013 Melissa was selected by SIMA for their inaugural Young Women’s International Touring Program led by trombonist Alex Silver. As part of a jazz quintet she toured Scotland performing at the Edinburgh Jazz festival, Inverurie Jazz Festival and Aberdeen International Youth Festival. The quintet performed an exciting mix of originals, arrangements of modern jazz and Australian composers, which was well received by the European audiences. Melissa remained in Europe for the remainder of 2013 exploring the European jazz scene, learning off master musicians and traveling. Melissa spent considerable time abroad in London studying saxophone with Andy Sheppard, attending the Guildhall Advanced Jazz Summer School and watching a smorgasbord of memorable gigs at the London jazz festival. During her time overseas Melissa travelled through Germany, France, England, Scotland, Holland and Switzerland, gaining invaluable insight and inspiration from the European music scene.
 
Melissa is a member of the Sirens Big Band; the 17-piece super-collective of improvisers and composers who push the boundaries of the traditional big band format with their electric exploration of world music. Melissa featured as a soloist on several tracks on their debut album ‘Kali and the Time of Change’. The album was work-shopped and developed as part of the prestigious Bundanon Trust residency program in mid-2012 and recorded not long after at ABC studios Sydney. Melissa has enjoyed performing with the Sirens at the Sydney festival, Club 505, Sound Lounge and the Parramarsala festival. "The Sirens are all-female, all-funky and all-embracing in their influences... It is a combination you won't get anywhere else and they are one of Sydney's - if not Australia's - treasures" John Hardaker - AustralianJazz.net

Melissa is also a dedicated and enthusiastic educator and has developed a confident and informed pedagogic style over the last eight years in a variety of situations from private lessons to school band workshops. She currently runs her own in-demand private teaching studio in the Ku-ring-gai area with over 30 students as well as periodically tutoring at a number of bandcamps at schools including Ravenswood, Wahroonga Public School, Killara Public School and Turramurra High School. She takes great pride in her students’ musical development and has had outstanding success with her pupils participating in graded music exams, eisteddfods, music scholarships and HSC music.

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