The Erie Niagara Conservatory of Music was founded to offer accessible, transformative music education for children, adults, and communities across Western New York. The Conservatory is grounded in a belief that music is not just performance in both practical and philosophical sense, but presence intended as “way of being and living in the now.”

We exist to:

• Provide high-quality, inclusive instruction to students of all ages and abilities
• Train teachers to recognize and support the whole human, not just the musician
• Offer free and low-cost programs supported through concerts, community partnerships, and self-sustaining systems
• Serve the underserved: especially in regions where access to the arts is limited
• Use music as a tool for emotional growth, cognitive development, and identity building

Founding Members

Board of Directors

The Erie Niagara Conservatory is governed by a team of educators, professionals, and creatives who believe music is a vehicle for human clarity, not just performance.
Each board member plays a strategic role in shaping the field, sustaining its structure, and ensuring it remains accessible, transformative, and rooted in presence.

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Dr. Antonella Di Giulio
Chair, Founder
Pianist, music theorist, and system-builder. Specializes in bringing visionary concepts into tangible form. Leads with clarity, creative strategy, and field coherence.

Dr. Brian M. Stevens
Vice-Chair, Director of Choral Vision
Choral conductor and international clinician. Advocates for new music, equity in the arts, and emotionally resonant vocal education.

Christina Santa Maria
Secretary, Vocal Pedagogy and Community Music
Voice specialist, vocologist, and ensemble director at Trinity Church Grand Island. Brings embodiment and accessibility to the Conservatory’s vocal programming.

Jeff Withee
Financial Supervisor
CFO and experienced nonprofit board leader. Oversees fiscal integrity and sustainable strategy with a grounding in community values.

Judith Bain
Treasurer, Finance and Operations
Business Manager at the University at Buffalo. Background in accountancy, systems logic, and ethical oversight.

Ivan Docenko
Artists Relations
Ivan Docenko is a pianist, educator, and community arts advocate with extensive experience in performance and teaching across Western New York. He has collaborated with local schools, churches, and cultural organizations, bringing music into diverse community settings. Passionate about music as both an art form and a tool for growth, he supports initiatives that expand access to quality music education for children and families.

Dr. Robert Strauss
Artistic Programming
Dr. Robert (“Rob”) Strauss is an experienced singer, conductor, and stage director. He’s led choirs like the Genesee County All-County Chorus and the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus, and has performed roles in opera and musical theater—including Parpignol in La Bohème and Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro. He holds degrees in Vocal Performance from West Virginia University, the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and SUNY Fredonia, and has won awards like the Faculty Merit & Service Award from Greensboro Music Academy and recognition from the Fredonia School of Music.

Monica Stankewicz
Artistic Programming
Pianist and music educator. Brings creativity and programmatic alignment to artistic initiatives and performance curation.

Meghann Loncar
Social Media & Community Outreach

Nhu Truong
Social Media & Community Outreach