Soprano Heidi Melton, a 2009 Adler Fellow and former Merola Opera Program participant, made her San Francisco Opera debut as Marianne (Der Rosenkavalier) and also appeared as Diane (Iphigénie en Tauride) and created the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in Philip Glass's Appomattox. She recently performed the role of Mrs. Grose (The Turn of the Screw) with San Francisco Opera Center at Lincoln Theater in Yountville and was heard as Amelia in scenes from Simon Boccanegra at Yerba Buena Gardens. A native of Spokane, Washington, Melton holds a bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music and a master’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music. While at Curtis, she performed the roles of Lady Billows (Albert Herring), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), and the title roles of Alcina and Ariadne auf Naxos. The soprano was a national semi-finalist at the 2006 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and winner of the 2006 Mario Lanza Competition. Recent engagements include her debut with Opera Company of Philadelphia as Gertrude in Hansel and Gretel and Amelia (Un Ballo in Maschera) at Bordeaux Opera.