Melissa Woodroffe

  • BMus Bassoon
  • AMusA Clarinet
  • AMusA Recorder

Melissa Woodroffe is currently Guest Principal Contrabassoon with Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Guest Principal Bassoon with the Opera Australia Orchestra.

Melissa was born in Brisbane and studied clarinet for two years at the University of Queensland, completing her AMUSA with premier clarinettist Paul Dean in 2006. She then commenced bassoon at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music with Leesa Dean, graduating in 2008 with a Bachelor of Music. Since then she has studied with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s principal bassoonist, Matthew Wilkie, and then with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s associate principal bassoonist, Elise Millman, at the Australian National Academy of Music in 2010. She was part of the Sydney Symphony Fellowship program from 2011-2012.

During her studies Melissa was also principal bassoonist of the Queensland Youth Symphony for two years under the renowned John Curro, touring internationally with the orchestra in 2008 and performing the Weber Concerto in 2009. She has been a participant of AYO National Music Camp, the Australian International Summer Orchestral Institute, and Sydney Sinfonia and has played at such festivals as the Bangalow Music Festival and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music.

Since 2007, Melissa has worked casually with the Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Opera Australia Orcheatra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, and has played with various chamber groups in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney including the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Camerata of St Johns, Arcko, Southern Cross Soloists and Orchestra Romantique.

Melissa teaches bassoon at Newington College, Cranbrook and St Andrew’s Cathedral School as well as teaching both clarinet and bassoon privately.

North Sydney, NSW

Services

Details last updated: February 13, 2024