Meet Our Staff
Elise Naccarato | Managing Director
As Chorus Niagara's former Associate Conductor, Elise Naccarato, is thrilled to start her new journey as Managing Director with an organization she loves and cares for deeply. She is conductor who is in innovative, dynamic and a vocal advocate for women in the arts. She is the Artistic and Executive Director of Myriad Ensemble and recently completed an MBA in Innovation Leadership and Human Resource Management. In 2021, Elise was the recipient of the St. Catharines Emerging Artist Award, and short listed for the Halton Women of Distinction as a pandemic innovator.
Erica D'Amore | Administrator
Former Robert Cooper Choral Scholar and Side-by-Side High School Chorale member, Erica D'Amore, is a dedicated administrator with a passion for fostering creativity and community through the choral arts. She holds a Bachelor of Musical Arts from Western University and an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration – Marketing, combining her artistic foundation with strategic marketing expertise.​​
Amanda Nelli|CNCC Artistic Director
Amanda Nelli is a distinguished children’s choir conductor and elementary music educator with more than 15 years of dedication and experience. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the St. Catharines Arts in Education Award, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce Women in Business (Cultural Arts) Award, and was nominated for the prestigious Leslie Bell Award for Choral Conducting. Her Chorus Niagara Children’s Choir (CNCC) Concert Choir won the gold award at the national competition MusicFest Canada in 2018.
Amanda is entering her fifteenth season as the Artistic Director of the CNCC. Under her leadership, the CNCC has become a dynamic organization with four choirs for children and youth ages 3-18. They have had the honour of performing with international artists such as Measha Brueggergosman and Pavlo Simtikidis. The CNCC enjoy many performances with accomplished groups such as Chorus Niagara, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra and Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts. The CNCC Chamber Choir was invited to perform a cameo concert at the prestigious Podium national choral festival in May 2020.
​
As the Music Specialist at Fern Hill Private School in Oakville, Amanda designed and implemented a Music Program for Preschool to Grade 8 students with a focus on music literacy, choral singing, performance, and Orff pedagogy. She is the music director and producer for their annual staged musicals. Her accomplished Fern Hill Chorus have performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts.
_JPG.jpg)
Krista Rhodes| Collaborative Pianist
Krista Rhodes is a versatile collaborative pianist, educator, adjudicator, and recording artist in the GTA, Hamilton, and Niagara regions. She has appeared on stages in North America and Europe and has had her music heard on the Oprah Winfrey Show. During her career, Krista has worked with many choral ensembles, soloists, opera companies, orchestras and post-secondary institutions. Her passion is choral music where she enjoys working with a diverse range of choirs. Krista has accompanied some of Canada’s most prestigious classical soloists and has made recent appearances that include: the Amadeus Choir and Elmer Iseler Singers of Toronto, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Niagara Symphony, Talisker Players, Symphony on the Bay, Opera Niagara, Sinfonia Ancaster, the Achill Choral Society, the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, and the Bach Elgar Choir. In addition to her musical endeavours, she is a secondary school teacher with the Hamilton-Wentworth school board and is the Music Director at Munn’s United Church in Oakville. Krista resides in the Niagara region with her two incredible children and is overjoyed to be returning to Chorus Niagara as their collaborative pianist.