MELA SARAJANE DAILEY
Grammy Award-winning soprano Mela Sarajane Dailey is an internationally acclaimed artist whose extraordinary versatility spans opera, musical theatre, oratorio, jazz, gospel, popular music, and film. A ten-time Grammy nominee, Dailey received a Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance for Conspirare’s The Sacred Spirit of Russia, released by Harmonia Mundi.
Celebrated for her vocal brilliance, emotional depth, and commanding stage presence, Dailey has performed with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, including the Florida, Louisville, Detroit, Edmonton, Fort Worth, and Austin Symphonies; Austin Opera; Opera Maine; and the Rochester and Vancouver Philharmonics. Her operatic repertoire includes both Mimi and Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème, among other leading roles.
Her career has taken her to distinguished venues including Carnegie Hall and Boston Symphony Hall, as well as sold-out arenas alongside Michael Bublé and Sarah Brightman. She has also led major artistic productions, including the production and performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass in celebration of the composer’s 100th birthday.
Equally at home in musical theatre, Dailey’s favorite featured performances include Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd and Maria in The Sound of Music. She has also performed as a soloist in the acclaimed oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard, a work with which she has both performed and recorded.
Dailey’s work extends beyond the concert and opera stage into film, television, radio, commercial work, and fashion and print modeling. Her film credits include featured vocal performances in major motion-picture soundtracks, including composer Hanan Townshend’s The Vessel with Martin Sheen and Heaven Sent. She has also appeared in commercial and print campaigns and has been featured in jewelry campaigns for prominent designers, including Alex Soldier Jewelry.
Her recording and broadcast career includes studio work at Skywalker Ranch, numerous commercial recordings, and hosting ICONS of Broadway. She continues to perform across genres while developing projects that bring together music, storytelling, and visual media.
Dailey’s work extends beyond the concert and opera stage into film, television, radio, commercial work, and fashion and print modeling. Her film credits include featured vocal performances in major motion-picture soundtracks, including composer Hanan Townshend’s The Vessel with Martin Sheen and Heaven Sent. She has also appeared in commercial and print campaigns and has been featured in jewelry campaigns for prominent designers, including Alex Soldier Jewelry.
Her recording and broadcast career includes studio work at Skywalker Ranch, numerous commercial recordings, and hosting ICONS of Broadway. She continues to perform across genres while developing projects that bring together music, storytelling, and visual media.
An artist, producer, advocate, and arts leader, Dailey’s career reflects a lifelong belief in the transformative power of the arts, and in the importance of creating meaningful opportunities for artists to share their voices.
Today, Dailey is also the founder and CEO of American Artists Project, a national nonprofit dedicated to removing financial and structural barriers for under-resourced artists and expanding equitable access to the arts. Through AAP, she has created free educational and performance opportunities for artists and students, including autistic and neurodiverse artists of all ages.