about me

My name is Melissa Luangrath — aka Miss Mel — teacher of cello, piano, and voice. Ten years ago, we moved from Utah to our adopted hometown in North Salem of "the shire." We have loved putting down our roots here in New England and I look forward to many more years of sharing my love of music with my students, the next generation of musicians.

I studied cello primarily starting at age 12 with Dr. Paul Joines of Weber State University, briefly with Julie Bevan of Brigham Young University, and at the National Cello Institute of Pomona, California. I have played in various quartets and chamber groups in the Antelope Valley area of Southern California, with the New American Symphony in the Ogden, Utah area, three years with the Timpanogos Symphony Orchestra in the Alpine, Utah area, and now most recently with the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra based in Andover, Massachusetts. Through the years, I’ve played in the pit orchestra for productions of Kiss Me Kate (California), Cinderella (Utah), and as mentor cellist for Salem High School in Frozen and Hadestown.   

We always sang as a family and I found my home in the alto section in choir until I left for college when I got a bit more serious about singing. I studied voice primarily with Gregory Duffin, adjunct faculty to Weber State University, where I was trained in classical, jazz, and broadway styles; and also studied voice at BYU. Over the years, I have sung with many different choirs and ensembles with occasional soloing around the southern New Hampshire area. 

Needless to say, I was brought up in the type of household where music is a way of life — which means that I’ve been in and around music for nearly 50 years. I started figuring out songs on the piano at three, started on violin at four and finally settled on cello at 11 years old all while keeping on with piano. I studied piano with Wayne Mayberry (Utah) and Chantal Cobia (California) but my greatest influence and piano teacher was certainly my mother, Juleen Reimschussel Boothe, from the time I was three until I left for college.  

 

I graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in Graphic Design with a Music Minor. After a career in graphic design with a side of music, I now have three awesome kids and love sharing my passion for music with the next generation of musicians from my home.

On a more personal note, I love my family, life, learning, languages, music, art, the great outdoors, and, of course, teaching.