Melissa Manning, was born and raised in Newark, NJ. She is a Juilliard trained concert pianist who attended the Manhattan School of Music and Montclair University as a piano performance major. She won the piano concerto competition at Montclair and performed the Rhapsody In Blue with the Montclair Concert Jazz Band. At the age of 17, she was accepted to a college level summer program in Switzerland in conjunction with Syracuse University and Ecole de Hindemith. She performed in weekly soirees at the Chalet de la Gloriette and in concert with the Suisse Romande Orchestre. Melissa was the recipient of numerous scholarships including those from The Miss America Scholarship Foundation. She was chosen Miss Essex County, was 3rd runner up to Miss New Jersey 2 times, and 4th runner one time. She was chosen first runner up to Vanessa Williams, Miss America, and was crowned Miss New York State, 1983. She toured with the USO Metropolitan for 3 weeks and performed in every VA Hospital in NY State. She worked as a model in NYC and coaches her music students on stage presence and poise. She has music directed, “Kiss Me Kate”, “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying”, “My Favorite Year”, and directed 3 children’s musicals the summer of 2008 including, “Footloose”, “Into the Woods”, and “The Sound of Music”. She played in the orchestra pit for the “Wizard of Oz” production at the Wyckoff Y in 2010. She has worked as a church organist and choir director since 1986 and is currently Music Director at the Community Church of Ho-Ho-Kus in NJ. Melissa has produced the Opera Night Concerts at L’Artista Italian Restaurant and other venues in Rockland County since April 2006, accompanying a variety of operatic singers including sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, tenors, and baritones. Melissa became music director of the Morning Music Club in 2010. Melissa has taught music to several celebrities over the years including the children of Justin Chambers, Hollywood actor, Storm Field and family, Eyewitness News weatherman, and iconic musical legend, Aretha Franklin.

Ms. Melissa Manning has joined the faculty of the Piano School of NYC in 2011