New Horizons Band's New Conductor: Nicole Mlynczak

We are thrilled to introduce our wonderful new conductor for the New Horizons Bands, Nicole Izzo Mlynczak. Nicole holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in clarinet performance and music education, specializing in wind conducting, from Louisiana State University, and is a member of NAfME and the Recording Academy. She spent over a decade as a band director, private instructor, and performer in Baton Rouge, LA, before serving as Director of Career Education and Experiential Programs at Berklee College of Music and The Boston Conservatory in Boston, MA.

At Berklee, she led curricular, programmatic, and professional development initiatives, working with students, alumni, faculty, and staff leadership to connect classroom learning to real-world opportunities in the music and performing arts industries. She currently serves as Director of Programming and Media at Salt Lick Incubator, a nonprofit supporting emerging independent artists through grants, showcases, recording sessions, and artist development programming. She also consults and presents on career readiness, workforce development, and the value of arts education for students, educators, and arts leaders. 

Nicole is excited to bring her experience and enthusiasm for community-based music-making to the North Coastal New Horizons Bands, and we are lucky to have her on our team! Now beginning their second semester under Nicole’s baton, the North Coastal New Horizons Bands are experiencing an enthusiasm that is truly infectious. According to Bob Edmunds, who is having so much fun he plays multiple instruments and is involved in all four New Horizons bands, what he values most is “The mutual support, the enthusiasm, the opportunity to learn from others, the opportunity to make mistakes fearlessly, the myriad of personalities and life experiences, and the one-ness of the entire experience.”

We could not imagine a more perfect conductor for this program than Nicole, who cultivates this type of experience for adult learners with her fierce dedication, sparkling personality, and a wealth of knowledge.