About

“Young in years, but that belies the level of her artistry” – Piedmont Post

Melissa Lam, a cellist with the San Francisco Choral Society Orchestra, has performed at major venues such as Davies Symphony Hall. In 2023 and 2024, she earned critical acclaim for her two solo recitals at the Piedmont Center for the Arts.

In April 2023, Melissa was honored as the guest soloist for Elgar’s Cello Concerto at the renowned Town and Gown Club’s annual luncheon in Berkeley, California.

Melissa has secured top honors in several prestigious competitions, including grand prize in the 2025 Antonín Dvořák Competition, and first places in the Pacific Musical Society & Foundation Competition, American Virtuoso Competition, US Open Music Competition, the International “The Muse” Competition, and the International JSFest Music Competition.

Currently, Melissa serves as the principal cellist of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Music

Traditional cello repertoire;
- Bach Cello Suites
- Baroque & Classical sonatas (Locatelli, Francoeur)
- Cello concertos (Haydn, Elgar, Dvořák, Saint-Saëns, Lalo)
- Cello sonatas (Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn)
- Encore pieces (Popper At The Fountain, Paganini Moses Variations)

Videos

Upcoming groupmuses

• 

  Living room

  Bach Cello suites in Trestle Glen

  Sunday, Apr 20 4:00 PM PDT

  • Neighborhood: Trestle Glen, Oakland
  • Instruments: Solo cello
  • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

  Almost full

• 

  Living room

  Only Brahms: Two Sonatas, Twice the Fun!

  Sunday, May 4 2:00 PM PDT

  • Neighborhood: Kensington
  • Composers: Brahms
  • Instruments: Cello & Piano
  • Price: $5 to reserve, $25+ at event

  This groupmuse is full

Programs

Host one of these programs in your space!