Scottish violinist Melissa Carstairs made her professional concerto debut at the age of 15.

She studied with Clive Thomas and Lydia Mordkovitch and is a graduate of the Juilliard School in NY where she studied under Sally Thomas and members of the Juilliard string quartet.

Melissa joined the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House as Assistant Concertmaster in 2004 and was promoted to Associate Concertmaster in 2023. In this role she has led many productions for both the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet to critical acclaim noting her warmth of sound and stylistic flexibility.

She also acts as Co-Concertmaster of the Covent Garden Sinfonietta, a dynamic chamber orchestra formed by musicians from the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. They perform internationally and most recently appeared at the Musikverein in Vienna.

Melissa has appeared as Guest leader with many orchestras including the Cabrillo Festival orchestra in California, Opera North and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra where she also performed as a soloist on a number of occasions.

Melissa was delighted to be invited to play with The World Orchestra for Peace which brings together musicians from across the globe.

As an avid chamber musician Melissa performed through Scotland with the Edinburgh String Quartet and regularly performs with various ensembles across the UK and Europe.

In 2023 Melissa was thrilled to perform with the Chamber Principals of London at their debut concert at Theatro Verdi di Salerno.