Chelsea Melamed Cushman

Assistant Professor
Voice
Voice Division
Music Performance Studies Department

Office: MB 307
Phone: (519) 661-2111 x85388

Biography

Dr. Chelsea Melamed Cushman is a teaching artist and mezzo-soprano. Recognized for her rich vocal colour and commanding stage presence, Chelsea premiered two works for voice and chamber orchestra by composer Kye Marshall, and sang Donna Israelita in the Canadian premiere of Lidarti's Hebrew oratorio Esther during her 2026 season.

Chelsea's operatic repertoire includes Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, the title role in La Cenerentola, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, and Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti. She has performed throughout the United States and Canada with companies such as Cincinnati Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, and Toronto City Opera. Equally comfortable in oratorio, she has sung mezzo solos in Bach's Magnificat, Handel's Messiah, and Rossini's Stabat Mater. A committed advocate for contemporary music, she created the role of Jiyan in the world premiere of Leanna Kirchoff's Friday After Friday and the developed the role of Firdaus Noman in the world-premiere workshop of Jack Perla's Shalimar the Clown. An avid interpreter of song, she has been a featured recitalist with SongFest, Toronto Summer Music, and Carnegie Hall (Notables).

Chelsea holds a doctorate in voice from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where her research and associated performances focused on the late castrato period. She has completed additional training in Contemporary Commercial Music pedagogy through the CCM Institute at Shenandoah University and holds a certification from Meisner in Music. Mentorship through teaching is one of her key passions and a lifelong commitment. She is thrilled to join the voice faculty at Western University to continue this work.