Melissa Hyatt Foss is a musician, instrument-maker, and composer hailing from Maryland and Vermont. After receiving her BA in Art History at James Madison University she relocated to Argentina where she studied and developed her career as a performer, researcher, and teaching artist for over a decade. She completed her Master’s degree in Musical Creation, New Technologies and Traditional Arts at the National University of Argentina, specializing in the recreation of ancient sound artifacts of the Americas and electroacoustic composition. For seven years she was a soloist with the Orchestra of Indigenous Instruments and New Technologies, performing in Argentina and touring abroad in Europe and Central America. 

Melissa has cultivated an interdisciplinary practice that takes shape in sound sculptures, musical instruments, and organic electronica. Her work is a multifaceted contemplation of the beauty of our human heritage, the wisdom of our ancestors, and a search for their place in our world today. Her composition “Hanblecheyapi,” which was composed using a collection of her own hand-built instruments from the three Americas, was one of the International Rostrum of Composers’ 12 recommended works in 2018 and has since been broadcast by the BBC and other radio programs in Finland, Portugal and Austria among others.

She is currently based in Baltimore, Maryland, where she is a Resident Artist with the Creative Alliance.

 

Melissa Hyatt Foss's Classes This Season

  • Instructor Name
    Melissa Hyatt Foss
    Ages
    16+
    Room Number
    112
    Member Price
    $26
    Non-Member Price
    $51

    Musical instruments have helped us communicate and express ourselves since the beginning of human culture.Learning about the musical instruments of the ancient Americas and building and playing our own instruments helps us to awaken the memory of our connection to nature, cultivate presence through the working with clay, and experience joy through sound and music-making. In these hands-on workshops we will learn about musical instruments that have been made across Central and South America for thousands of years and learn to build our own working clay flutes. The workshop will return Dec 8th from 6-8 PM for a musical jam session where we'll reflect on our learnings, explore the sound palettes of our instruments, and learn to express ourselves using our clay flutes. All are welcome, and no previous experience with clay, instruments or music is necessary. This program is made possible by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. For more information, contact melissahfoss@gmail.com. Los instrumentos musicales nos han ayudado a comunicar y expresarnos desde los comienzos de la cultura humana. Conocer los instrumentos ancestrales de las Américas, y aprender a construir y tocar nuestros propios instrumentos nos ayuda a despertar la memoria de nuestra conexión con la naturaleza, cultivar la presencia con las manos en el barro, y experimentar alegría a través del sonido y la música. En estos talleres conoceremos instrumentos musicales que se han hecho a lo largo de Centroamérica y América del Sur desde hace miles de años y aprenderemos a construir nuestras propias flautas de arcilla. El taller culminará en un encuentro musical el 8 de diciembre de 6-8pm, donde reflexionaremos sobre nuestros aprendizajes, exploraremos la paleta sonora de nuestros instrumentos, y aprenderemos a expresarnos con nuestras flautas. Todos son bienvenidos y no se requiere experiencia con arcilla ni con instrumentos o música. Este programa es posible gracias a una beca del Maryland State Arts Council. Para más información escribir a melissahfoss@gmail.com.

  • Instructor Name
    Melissa Hyatt Foss
    Ages
    12-15 years
    Member Price
    $84
    Non-Member Price
    $109

    Musical instruments have helped us communicate and express ourselves since the beginning of human culture. Learning about the musical instruments of the ancient Americas and building and playing our own instruments helps us to awaken the memory of our connection to nature, cultivate presence through the working with clay, and experience joy through sound and music-making.In this unique hands-on summer camp learners will be introduced to different musical instruments that have been made across Central and South America for centuries and learn to build and play their own working clay flutes.All are welcome, and no previous experience with clay, instruments or music is necessary. This program is made possible by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. For more information, contact melissahfoss@gmail.com.

Melissa Hyatt Foss