Dr Melissa Fitzgerald has established herself as an in-demand soloist and chamber musician. In 2021 she performed Villa-Lobos’ Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra with the Fremantle Symphony Orchestra, as well as Torroba’s Sonatina for Guitar and Orchestra with the West Coast Philharmonic Orchestra. Past performance highlights include the Perth International Classical Guitar Festival, Classical Guitar Society of WA, Edith Cowan University, and radio performances on RTRFM's guitar show and ABC Great Southern. Her prowess as a performer has been recognised through numerous awards and competitions, including WAAPA’s 2013 Warana Concerto Competition, in which she was a finalist performing Leo Brouwer's Concerto Elegiaco with the WAAPA Orchestra, and was also a finalist in 2010 for the most outstanding graduating music student award.

A love of performing chamber music led her to create the Perth Guitar Quartet in 2013. They have opened the 2018 Perth International Classical Guitar Festival; toured the WA Great Southern region; and have given recitals for the Classical Guitar Society of WA, the National Trust of Western Australia, Cappuccino Concerts, and North Street Music's Chamber Jam.

Melissa undertook her guitar studies at WAAPA under the guidance of Dr Jonathan Paget. Her 2011 Honours thesis titled Minimalism and the Guitar received First Class Honours, and in 2017 she graduated with her PhD thesis, Bridging the Great Divide: An Exploration of Postmodernism in the Guitar Music of Nigel Westlake.

While completing her studies, Melissa regularly participated in masterclasses with renowned Australian guitarists, Slava Grigoryan, Karin Schaupp, Timothy Kain, and Tonié Field.  Masterclasses with visiting artists have included the Z.o.o. Duo, the Australian Guitar Duo, and Johannes Möller. She also travelled to the United States to take lessons from Jason Vieaux (Cleveland Institute of Music), Ben Verdery (Yale) and Nicholas Goluses (Eastman School of Music).

Currently, Melissa teaches guitar chamber music at the UWA Conservatorium of Music.

Melissa plays a 2011 Paul Sheridan guitar.