YWCA Women of Achievement: Melody Chang Heaton helps opera companies avoid racial stereotypes and boost Asian inclusion

Melody Chang Heaton has never been one to sit idle, as evidenced by her current roles as the executive director of the Asian Opera Alliance and the communications and marketing director for the Spokane Valley Summer Theatre.

Her work in the opera and theater community has been recognized with the 2024 YWCA Women of Achievement Arts and Culture Award.

Dawn Wolski nominated Heaton. She met Heaton when she hired her for a role in one of Inland Northwest Opera’s performances. She said it quickly became apparent that Heaton is constantly working and helping others.

“I think she gets bored if she’s just in one slice of the pie,” Wolski said. “If she sees a need for something, she will always volunteer.”

Heaton grew up in Shoreline, Washington, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants. After graduating from Shorecrest High School in 2011, she studied opera at Washington State University. She said the opera program there is small but excellent and gave her the opportunity to be involved in other things than singing, including set design.

However, Heaton never planned to study opera. In fact, she originally planned to major in computer science. But during high school she played the double bass with the orchestra and enjoyed performing in the pit during theater performances, so she auditioned for an opera workshop at WSU and the rest was history.

“It kind of came out of nowhere,” she said.

After she graduated from WSU, she took a job in the marketing and ticketing department for the Best of Broadway series.

“I just wanted to work in the industry,” she said.

She was laid off when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, then was hired as director of marketing for Inland Northwest Opera. Wolski said Heaton chipped in where needed, including helping with fundraising and even filling in for makeup artists. When she heard Wolski was working on a truck for traveling opera performances, she immediately volunteered her car rebuilding talents.

Wolski said she was impressed that Heaton so selflessly stepped in where she thought she was needed.

“I think that’s what makes her exceptional as a human and as a co-worker,” she said. “Melody doesn’t even realize how much she does because she doesn’t see it as doing anything else other than being who she is.”

In 2022, Heaton was named the first executive director of the Asian Opera Alliance. She started working for the Spokane Valley Summer Theatre last year.

Heaton said she saw a lot of inequities in the opera world about who got roles and who didn’t. Performers of Asian descent often weren’t considered for roles, including roles that specifically called for an Asian character.

“It became obvious there were some issues with casting,” she said. “I just found that this was the best way to advocate for artists. A lot of what we do at AOA is supporting our artists.”

Wolski said she’s proud of how Heaton has worked with opera companies around the county to avoid racial stereotypes and include more Asian performers. She uses gentle conversation to achieve those goals, Wolski said.

“She’s not militant,” she said. “She’s humble and quick to give credit elsewhere. She’s changed my life and how I think about these things.”

An opera singer’s skill is based on their body, not their ethnicity, Heaton said. An opera singer has to have strong abdominal muscles in order to sing properly, she said.

“Opera is just so difficult because of how much work it takes,” she said. “A lot of people can’t sing over an orchestra. It’s a completely different singing technique. It’s about using your abs and your intercostal muscles in your ribs to produce a steady stream of air.”

Along the way, she set up the Chang Heaton Scholarship for Music Excellence through an online program that provides small scholarships for first-generation minority students in music and theater programs for things like tap shoes and recital dresses.

“Even something as small as that can be a barrier for someone,” she said. “It was really frustrating to think about all the people who don’t get to the point of being in the room at auditions.”

Her willingness to help can be seen in many areas of the community. In high school, she organized a clothing drive to benefit domestic violence victims. While in college, she was involved in Alpha Chi Omega’s domestic violence awareness program. In 2016, she helped the Spokane Symphony Chorale raise money for the YWCA. She also currently serves as the board president of Communities in Schools of Spokane County. In addition, she continues to perform on stage. This summer, she will play the role of Bloody Mary in South Pacific with the Spokane Valley Summer Theatre.

Heaton said she felt “so honored” when she learned about the award.

“I didn’t know what to say,” she said. “There’s so much work to do still, but it’s nice to be recognized.”