Antonina G. Nigrelli

Antonina Gaetana Nigrelli
April 18th, 1929-December 17th, 2016.

ANTONINA NIGRELLI earned a B.S. in Music Education from Hunter College 1952 and an M.A. in Music Performance from Queens College 1978. She held positions on the teaching staffs of Queens, Dowling and St. Joseph's Colleges, was head of the Music Department in the William Tresper Clarke Jr.-Sr. High School, East Meadow, and was the director of orchestras at the Elwood Elementary, Junior and Senior High Schools,where she taught for 25 years.

Mrs. Nigrelli was a frequent guest conductor and clinician at countywide and statewide festivals including the the Long Island String Festival. She had been actively involved in professional organizations, including LISFA, NMEA and SCMEA, in youth orchestras such as the Training Orchestra (now Gemini) and professional orchestras including the Long Island Symphony, Huntington Festival Orchestra and the Suffolk Symphony. She was first violinist and a member of the Board of Directors of the Long Island Symphony and also appeared as its guest conductor.

Antonina was Conductor and Music Director of West Islip Symphony, Long Island, NY for more than 25 years. She also conducted the Long Island Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra for more than 34 years and was president of the Classical Mandolin Society of America for 8 years. She was also the concertmaster of the New York Balalaika and Domra Orchestra and served as a member of the Board of Directors Balalaika and Domra Association of America for 15 years. She conducted festival orchestras in Atlanta, Georgia, Louisville, Kentucky, Jackson, Missouri, Vancouver,B.C., St. Petersburg, Russia and Stockholm, Sweden. In addition, she continued to free-lance with the Celebration String Quartet and various New York orchestras including the Island Lyric Opera.

During the winter months she played violin and viola professionally in Florida, performing with the Charlotte Symphony and appearing as guest conductor of 'I Musici' in Naples, Florida, and serving as Assistant Conductor and Concertmaster of the Gulf Coast Symphony in Ft. Meyers, Florida. Never one to slow down, she was also delighted to play with Barry Manilow on a recent six city tour of Florida

Antonina is survived by her husband of 63 years, Frank Nigrelli, daughter ,Gina D'Amaro, son Terry Nigrelli and two grandchildren, Julia and Andrew Nigrelli.