Pianist Nicola Melville to Perform at W&L’s Lenfest Center The Sept. 26 performance is sponsored by the university’s Concert Guild.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
September 12, 2025

The Department of Music at Washington and Lee University presents New Zealand pianist Nicola Melville in concert at 7 p.m. on Sept. 26 in Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

The performance is sponsored by W&L’s Concert Guild, which brings professional performing artists to campus each year for concerts and master classes. Tickets are required and available online or in person at the Lenfest Box Office.

The American Record Guide describes Melville as “a marvelous pianist who plays with splashy color but also exquisite tone and nuance.” She is the winner of numerous competitions, including the National Concerto Competition and the Auckland Star Concerto Competition, and she has collaborated with members of the Kronos and JACK quartets as well as members of the Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota and Saint Paul Chamber orchestras.

Melville is the Dye Family Professor of Music at Carleton College and chair of the Chautauqua Music Festival’s piano program. She also tours with the contemporary music group Zeitgeist, performing nearly 40 concerts every year.

The Sept. 26 concert will feature a blend of influences from the kitsch, ragtime and electronic music genres. As part of her campus visit, Melville will also lead a public master class to students in W&L’s piano program at 10 a.m. on Sept. 27.

Order your tickets online today or call the Lenfest Center box office at 540-458-8000 for ticket purchase information. Box office hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $22 for adults, $17 for seniors and $15 for W&L faculty and staff; W&L students receive free tickets by showing their student identification.

For a full list of performances, visit the Lenfest Center’s website.

The Lenfest Center for the Arts, home of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies, the Department of Music and Department of Art and Art History, is a multi-use facility designed and equipped to accommodate a broad spectrum of the performing arts, including theater, musical theater, opera and operetta, choral and band music, dance and performance art in one energizing complex.