Melissa Mielens, hailed in reviews for her “eloquence,” and “ethereal flute lines,” is the principal flute with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of Indian Hill. She has played principal flute with many regional orchestras, including the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Portland Symphony, and Springfield Symphony. She has toured abroad with various orchestras: Japan with the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra, the United Kingdom with the New World Symphony, and Europe and South America with Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra.

Mielens has been a prizewinner in several national and regional competitions, including the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition and the Pappoutsakis Flute Competition. Her playing has been featured on numerous radio staions, with live performances on WGBH and WVPR. As one of the youngest recipients of a Fulbright Grant, Mielens studied in Paris with Alain Marion. She received her B.M. and M.M. degrees, both with distinction, from the New England Conservatory.

She is dedicated to music education, and in addition to teaching at Phillips Exeter Academy, has also taught at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and New England Conservatory’s Preparatory Division. Former students have attended the Curtis Institute of Music, the Hartt School of Music, the Tanglewood Music Festival, and Interlochen.

Mielens and her husband (two children are off to college) live in Stowe, with their three dogs.