Mela Tenenbaum, born in Ukraine, is a classical violinist and violist, also playing viola d'amore. She graduated from the Kyiv Conservatory and performed the Kyiv Philharmonic and other orchestras. She inspired composers such as Dmitri Klebanov to write pieces for her.
She emigrated to the United States and was from the early 1990s concertmaster of the Philharmonia Virtuosi. She recorded works from Bach to salon music, especially chamber music.