Staff Sergeant Melissa Griffith is a vocalist with the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.
Sgt. Griffith holds a BM in Musical Theatre, graduating with honors from the University of Central Oklahoma. There, she studied voice in the studio of Dr. Marilyn Govich and piano in the studio of Dr. Chindarat Charoenwongse. For seven years prior to enlistment, Airman Griffith worked with Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, both as a performer and as the Academy Administrator to the K-12 theatre education program. She was privileged to also be heavily involved with the Lyric Interactive Arts Outreach program, as an actor and a writer, which travels to schools all over the state of Oklahoma at no cost to schools. Sgt. Griffith has been an instructor and music director with The Studio of Sooner Theatre and an adjunct music theatre voice professor for the University of Tulsa.
After graduating college, SSgt Griffith was given the opportunity to create the vocal arrangements for a new musical written by one of her mentors, "Flipside: The Patti Page Story." In 2011, she received a Kennedy Center Commendation for her work on the musical. "Flipside" played Off-Broadway in New York in December of 2012 and continues to tour around the country.
As a performer, she has been honored to share the stage with Tony Award Winner Beth Leavel and Tony Award Nominees Emily Skinner and Dee Hoty. Some of her favorite roles include: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (Mrs. Segstrom), MARY POPPINS (Mrs. Banks), A CHRISTMAS CAROL (The Ghost of Christmas Past), THE WIZARD OF OZ (Glinda), OKLAHOMA! (Gertie), BIG FISH (Alabama Lamb), LES MISERABLES (Ensemble/Cosette US) and FLIPSIDE: THE PATTI PAGE STORY (Patti Page).
EDUCATION
2009 Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre, University of Central Oklahoma
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
ASSIGNMENTS
JAN-MAR 2017, Basic Military Training, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
MAR 2017 - Present, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman First Class 03 March 2017
Senior Airman 10 May 2019
Staff Sergeant 01 March 2021