Lee University will welcome Mela Dailey, soprano, to teach a masterclass on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. in Squires Recital Hall.

The masterclass is a cooperative opportunity with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera (CSO). Dailey will perform as a guest artist with the CSO on Thursday, Sept. 17 in Chattanooga. Violinist Arnaud Sussman and guitarist Pablo Villegas will also teach masterclasses at Lee this spring in conjunction with their guest performances with the CSO.

Dailey will be featured as soloist in Barber’s “Knoxville Summer of 1915” for her CSO performance on Thursday.

“We are thrilled for our campus to be a vehicle through which we can continue our partnership with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera,” said Dr. William Green, dean of Lee’s School of Music. “This is a great way for our students and community to see these artists up close and personal and benefit from their years of professional experience.”

Dailey has received recognition in a wide variety of musical genres including opera, oratorio, art song, musical theater, vocal jazz, gospel, country, and popular music. She has worked on a variety of scores for movies such as “The Vessel” and “Heaven Sent.” She has also performed opera pieces including “Conspirare” and “Seraphic Fire” and has appeared in oratorios such as Handel’s “Messiah” and Bach’s “Magnificat.”

Dailey currently resides in Austin, Texas, and serves as the artistic director of Life in the City, a United Methodist church in Austin. She has also lectured in vocal technique for the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas.

The masterclass is a free, non-ticketed event and everyone is welcome to attend. Squires Recital Hall is located in Lee University’s Humanities Center on Parker Street.

For more information about Dailey, visit her site.

For more information on her appearance with the CSO, visit performances.

For more information on the masterclasses or other School of Music events, contact (423) 614-8240.