Melanie Shore

Biography

Melanie Shore’s dynamic musical fluency on the piano and Hammond B3 has established her as an accomplished performer, sought-after studio musician, music director, and award-winning composer and arranger.

Over her career, she has performed with an array of artists, including Chuck Berry, Il Divo, Lea Salonga, David Archuleta, Debby Boone, Restless Heart, and Teddy Gentry from the Grammy Award-winning group Alabama, among many others. Melanie recently completed her stay as associate music director/conductor for the first U.S. national tour of Roald Dahl and Tim Minchin’s Matilda The Musical.

Melanie is currently music directing for Michael Feinstein’s Great American Songbook Foundation. Formerly, she served as musical director and arranger, as well as played keyboard/Hammond B3 organ alongside pop and country multi-platinum artist Collin Raye. She has been featured in and is a regular contributor to Joseph Gordon-Leavitt’s collaborative musical community, hitRECord. In addition, she has played for many national Broadway tours and also tours with the soul/funk/fusion group led by Kris Johnson of the Count Basie Big Band. Melanie is also experienced in hand doubling for film, and was in all three installments of Disney's High School Musical movies.

As a composer and arranger, Melanie has been commissioned by various organizations across the United States for her choral, orchestral, and jazz works. She is also the arranger for the Homecoming Spectacular series, where she has written for renowned artists Gladys Knight, Kristen Chenoweth, Ben Rector, Colbie Callait, and Peter Hollens. Melanie regularly arranges for the world’s largest choral-orchestral organization, Millennial Choirs and Orchestras, as well as for jazz group, “Downbeat Award” winner, The Crescent Super Band.

As a studio musician, she is known for her authentic stylistic versatility and can be found recording everything from pop to funk, gospel, soul, musical theatre, and jazz. She has recorded for many independent artists, and also arranged and recorded Collin Raye’s album, His Love Remains.

Melanie holds a masters degree in jazz studies and is a sought-after clinician and mentor for jazz bands and combos, and has been a university jazz faculty member for over 15 years. She is currently a presenter and clinician for the 2020 international Jazz Education Network Conference (JEN) in New Orleans.

When not performing, arranging, or touring, she gives back to the community by visiting rest homes and schools with her therapy dog, Scotty. She is also a podcast host/creator/editor and hosts a program helping to educate others about grief management.