Nora Mello, pianist, performs frequently as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist. Born and raised in Massachusetts, she began piano lessons at age five and had her Carnegie Hall debut at age seventeen, performing in Weill Recital Hall. Nora has given solo performances in concert venues in Italy, Germany, and across the United States. Additionally, Nora has performed at several music festivals, including the Orford Music Festival, Brevard Music Festival, Internationale Somemerakademie Ettal, Encore Chamber Music, and the Centro Studi Carlo Della Giacoma in Todi, Italy.
Nora is passionate about teaching at both the collegiate and pre-college levels. She is currently an Adjunct Instructor of Music at Tarrant County College and an Instructor of Record at Texas Christian University. Nora also serves as a faculty member at the Texas Christian University Music Preparatory Department where she teaches both traditional and Suzuki students. Nora has previously held faculty positions at the DePaul University Community Music Division and Camp Encore Coda in Maine. Her students have won awards in local festivals, competitions, and the Texas State Theory Exam. In addition to teaching, Nora is on the Development Team at the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy.
An active clinician and presenter, Nora has given presentations at the MTNA National Conference, the MTNA Collegiate Pedagogy Symposium, and the Texas Music Teachers Association State Conference. Her research has been published in the MTNA E-Journal. Current research interests include cross-cultural piano pedagogy, compositional techniques used in Spanish piano music, and developing chamber music programs for pre-college students. Nora is a member of the College Music Society, Music Teachers National Association, Texas Music Teachers Association, Fort Worth Music Teachers Association, and the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She is the president of the TCU Collegiate Chapter of MTNA for the 2023-2024 school year.
Nora is currently a doctoral candidate at Texas Christian University, where she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance with a cognate in Piano Pedagogy. While at TCU, Nora has been awarded the Judith Solomon Award in Vocal Accompaniment and was a finalist in the TCU School of Music Concerto Competition. Nora holds a master’s degree in Piano Performance with Distinction from DePaul University and bachelor’s degrees in both Piano Performance and Marketing from Michigan State University. Her principal teachers include Dr. Tamas Ungar, George Vatchnadze and Deborah Moriarty. She has studied pedagogy with Dr. Ann Gipson, Dr. Susanne Baker, and Dr. Derek Polischuk and is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) through the Music Teachers National Association.
