Melody Mikkelsen

Melody Mikkelsen (she/her) believes high quality musical experiences for young people can transform futures and communities. A strong voice for performing arts philanthropy, she has led development teams at Portland Opera and Arts for Learning NW. She is a former kindergarten music and beginning band educator, and served as executive director of Oklahoma Youth Orchestras for five years, earning the organization the 2021 Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence award in arts and humanities. Creative partnerships and elements of fun are hallmarks of Melody's work. One of her most treasured successes was a $50,000 campaign to pay off the beautifully restored 1931 Fox Theater, celebrated at a Spokane Symphony concert with onstage mortgage burning and confetti cannons. When she isn’t raising funds and advocating for music education (and sometimes while she is), Melody enjoys playing bassoon and recorders with her husband Cris, who specializes in clarinet and conducting. They have three young children and two shiba inu pups.