Nationally acclaimed composer Melissa Dunphy specializes in theatrical and political vocal music; her works include the Gonzales Cantata, which received rave press and reviews from media outlets including The Wall Street Journal and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, soprano song cycle Tesla’s Pigeon, and "What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?" which won the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers Composition Competition and is currently being performed by Cantus on tour around the USA. Her compositions have also been performed by Chanticleer, American Opera Theater, Secret Opera, Anti-Social Music, Network for New Music, and at various electroacoustic festivals. Her awards include prizes from ASCAP, the Lotte Lehmann Foundation, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the American Prize, the Chicago Ensemble, and Boston Metro Opera. Dunphy is currently the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus Composer-in-Residence; other commissions include pieces for Volti, Choral Arts Philadelphia, Opus Anglicanum (UK), mezzo Maren Montelbano, Ensemble Epomeo, Voice of this Generation, Kennett Symphony Children’s Choir, and Whitman College Chamber Singers. Dunphy is currently finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Philadelphia where she is also an accomplished actor, and is developing a performance venue the Hannah Callowhill Stage, opening in 2017. More information at www.melissadunphy.com