Nicolette Minella
Nicolette Minella is a recent graduate of both the MS Performing Arts Leadership and Management (’21) and BFA Musical Theatre (’20, Magna Cum Laude) programs at Shenandoah Conservatory. She has worn multiple hats in the Long Island and Virginia arts communities- from actor, to administrator, to educator. Nicolette is currently the founding Musical Theatre Instructor at The Music Academy for Special Learners, providing theatre-based classes and private lessons for students with special needs.
Over the last few years, Nicolette has worked arts administration positions at Theatre Forward, a nonprofit dedicated to fundraising for the educational and outreach programming of its member theatres; LAByrinth Theater Company, a member-driven collective breaking artistic boundaries and creating new works; and Shenandoah Conservatory, assisting the managing director in facilitating theatre department activities. This past summer, she served as the Acting Instructor for the Summer Musical Theatre Intensive at Smithtown Performing Arts Center, and has previously worked on the educational staff at Your Act Theatrical Company, both with students ages 6-17.
In her four years of undergrad, Nicolette held leadership roles in two prominent student organizations, while balancing a rigorous class and rehearsal schedule as a Presidential Scholar. She produced over 25 plays with the Playwrights Performance Group, an entirely student-run organization that mounts student-written, directed, and performed short plays; she even rewrote the constitution and restructured organizational practices to make casting more diverse and equitable. Nicolette was also invited to pledge to Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theatre Honor Society, where she headed the Performance Committee responsible for event-planning- including multiple cabarets, original parody shows, and an annual drag show fundraiser. There, she received the Iota Award for her outstanding service.
Outside of arts management and education, Nicolette has been performing for over 15 years. Her life in the arts began in elementary school choir; working her way up to the select Bel Canto Chorale at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, she served as a section leader, performed at Carnegie Hall and other notable venues, and received the Rose Koch Award for her service. Nicolette has performed in several theatres across Long Island and Virginia, and received nominations for both the Islip Arts Council Teeny Awards and the Roger Rees Awards, the NY state qualifier for The National High School Musical Theatre Awards.
Nicolette is so excited to be joining the Babylon Chorale team! www.nicoletteminella.com
