Hailed as an emblematic symbol of music in Honduras, Melina Pineda is an authentic ambassador of bel canto, whose name stands out in music classrooms nationwide as part of the musical and cultural curriculum. She earned her degree in Business Administration from the University of the Ozarks in Arkansas, where she attended on a scholarship granted by the Walton Foundation, and received a Masters of Music in Opera Performance from The Boston Conservatory with a scholarship from the Organization of American States (OAS). Further on, she was offered a spot to join the prestigious Boston University Opera Institute where she obtained a post-graduate degree in Opera Performance.  She was selected to join the world renowned Young Artist Program at the Florida Grand Opera where she received positive reviews for her performances.  Ms. Pineda is a winner of the Florida Grand Opera /Young Patronesses of the Opera Competition, as well as a finalist in the Anna Sosenko and Heinz Rehfuss Voice Competition and the Palm Beach Opera Competition.

Melina made her debut in 2001 with Boston Lyric Opera where she brought to life the role of Thibault in Verdi’s Don Carlo.  That season she performed the roles of Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, Beatrice in Beatrice and Benedict, Trommler in Ulmann’s The Kaiser from Atlantis, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with the Boston University Opera Institute, as well as Adah in Victor Herbert’s Naughty Marietta with the Utah Festival Opera Company, Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen with Boston Lyric Opera, Historicus in Carissimi’s Jephte with Boston Baroque, Beatrice in Berlioz’s Beatrice and Benedict with the Aspen Music Festival.  She returned to Florida Grand Opera as a guest where she performed Flora in La Traviata and the title role in the American Premiere of Ede Donath’s Szulamit.  Other performances include Suzuki with Florida Grand Opera’s Madama Butterfly, a role which she then reprised with Knoxville Opera and Boston Lyric Opera, Anita in West Side Story with Ash Lawn Opera Company, the role of Melanto in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria with Chicago Opera Theatre and Carmen in Bizet’s Carmen with the Ash Lawn Opera Festival.  She interpreted the role of Fidalma in Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto with the Fundación Musical Nacional de Honduras. She recently appeared as one of several national artists to gather for a video recording of “Bella es mi tierra”, sponsored by the Institute of Tourism with the purpose of promoting the beauty and riches that Honduras has to offer; several of these artists were also part of the campagin that recorded “Unidos Podemos” which highlighted the importance of coming together as one to bring Honduras forward. Most recently she received rave reviews for her portrayal of Carmen with Fundación Musical de Honduras.

She was invited by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tegucigalpa to be one of 4 Ambassadors to appear in the campaign “Yo Marco la Diferencia”, created to raise awareness amongst Hondurans and motivate them to vote.  She was chosen due to her trajectory in the musical field and to serve as a model for the Honduran people. 

Melina Pineda has performed to great acclaim with the Asociación Filarmónica Coral de Honduras, Orquesta de Cámara of the Escuela Nacional de Música, Fundación Musical de Honduras, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of Honduras, Asociación Filarmónica of San Pedro Sula, Orquesta de los Confines, Coral Voces Aurae, among others and has offered a number of recitals in the United States and Central America. She sang the first concert to take place at the Copan Ruins for the Presidential Inauguration of President Ricardo Maduro. In 2009, the Ministry of Culture granted her the coveted award “Hoja de Laurel en Oro”.

She serves as Director of Musicalia, an early childhood music center which she founded in 2007, in order to offer a program that stimulates the musical development from an early age while at the same time strengthening the relationships of families in Honduras.  Musicalia was a pioneer program in early childhood development in Honduras, quickly establishing itself as the most exclusive program of its kind.

She also dedicates her time to her vocal studio where she works with children and teenagers, and develops recitals that feature repertoire that can further enrich and contribute to the musical development of Honduras.