Faculty
Melissa Phelps-Beckstead
Violin
Melissa Phelps-Beckstead, a native of Los Angeles, began her violin studies at age five. By age ten she appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. she is a winner of many awards and competitions; most notably the V.O.C.E., Young Artists Guild and the international Coleman competitions. she has performed as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician with the festivals of Ojai, Banff, Aspen, Sun Valley, Santa Fe, Mainly Mozart and Spoleto, Italy.
Melissa is the youngest member of five, in a prestigious family of professional musicians. Performing together they have toured over a dozen countries, have been featured on TV (KCET) and radio (KFAC), and have released many classical recordings; one of which is in the Library of Congress. She has performed with such artists as Itzhak Perlman, Yoyo Ma, Pinchas Zuckerman and Luciano Pavarotti. In the "POPULAR" arena of music she has performed/appeared in music videos with The Moody Blues, Kenny Rogers, EmmyLou Harris, The Scorpions and Yanni.