Melanie Bacaling in Masterclass
Friday, December 5, 2025 | 3:00pm
Boston Conservatory’s Seully Hall
8 Fenway, Floor 4
Boston, MA 02215
Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Boston Lyric Opera are thrilled to welcome Melanie Bacaling to lead a masterclass with Boston Conservatory at Berklee students and Boston Lyric Opera’s Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artists as part of the Opera Innovators Series.
Originally from Chicago, IL, Melanie Bacaling (she/her) is an active stage director and artistic collaborator in the opera industry. She is currently on the stage directing staff at The Metropolitan Opera and serves as Santa Fe Opera’s House Assistant Director. She has training in intimacy directing and is passionate about creating actively inclusive artistic spaces, interrogating what it takes to decolonize the rehearsal room. Upcoming engagements include revival directing Carrie Cracknell’s production of Carmen at the Met, associate directing Matthew Ozawa’s production of Madama Butterfly at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and making her stage directing debut at Santa Fe Opera for the 2026 season with Madama Butterfly. As a producer, Ms. Bacaling worked with Boston Lyric Opera to create “We Need to Listen,” a series of conversations highlighting racial inequities in classical music and opera. A former Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist with BLO, she also curated and produced the company’s podcast “at its (s)core,” which delves into the inner workings of the opera industry and highlights voices of BLO’s BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. Trained as a vocalist and pedagogue, Ms. Bacaling holds a BM in voice and BS in psychology from the University of Evansville, and an MM in vocal performance and pedagogy from Boston Conservatory.
Melanie Bacaling is presented as part of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Opera Innovators Series in partnership with Boston Lyric Opera.
Boston Lyric Opera gratefully acknowledges David & Janet McCue for their generous support of Boston Lyric Opera in presenting the 2025/26 Opera Innovators Series.
This event is open to all members of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Boston Lyric Opera community.
