Melinda O'Neal

O'Neal led the Handel Society of Dartmouth College, a student-community oratorio ensemble performing two-to-three choral-orchestral works annually with distinguished guest vocal artists and the Hanover Chamber Orchestra. Under O'Neal's 25-year leadership (1979-2004), repertoire included Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette and L'enfance du Christ, John Adams' Harmonium, Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem and Hodie, Charles Dodge's The Staff of Aesculapius, Verdi's Requiem, and Bach's St. Matthew Passion, among others. Concertato Singers, an ensemble from within the Handel Society, shared concerts and performed in the region. O'Neal inaugurated and led the select all-undergraduate Dartmouth Chamber Singers (1979-1996). They performed a wide variety of repertoire, undertook seven international concert tours, and presented annual theatrical renaissance dinners entitled "Feast of Song." O'Neal designed and taught courses in conducting, music theory, text and music, and literature. She advised conducting students preparing honors theses, recitals, senior fellowships, and presidential scholar projects, and she initiated and taught in the Music Department's term-long study program in London, leading it four times.

O'Neal is also artistic director & conductor emerita of Handel Choir of Baltimore, a community-professional oratorio ensemble and period instrument orchestra she led from 2004-2013. Collaborations included concerts with Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Bach Sinfonia, American Opera Theatre, Pro Musica Rara, Peabody Early Music and Baroque Band. The Baltimore Sun noted, "Melinda O'Neal has steadily and rapidly honed this ensemble into quite a potent chorus... It was a thoughtfully constructed, entertaining program delivered with an informed sense of historic style."

O'Neal studied score preparation, choral literature, and conducting with Julius Herford, Jan Harrington, Fiora Contino, Helmuth Rilling, Robert Shaw, Marcel Couraud, John Nelson, and Thomas Dunn. She taught and conducted at Indiana University, University of Georgia, Towson University and Texas Woman's University and was chorusmaster for the Seattle Symphony (WA), New Hampshire Symphony, and Monadnock Music Festival (NH). Her research focuses on the music of Hector Berlioz, historical performance practices, and conducting pedagogy. Experiencing Berlioz: A Listener's Companion (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018) represents a culmination of these interests. Heartfelt thanks are extended to the many Dartmouth students, community and professional singers and instrumentalists who performed well-known and lesser-known Berlioz works under her leadership.