Stefani Torode is a Suzuki-certified teacher and an accomplished violinist who came to Bancroft from Wachusett Regional High School where, as the Artist-in-Residence private violin instructor since 2009, she taught students aged 4 to 18. Stefani pursued a B.A. in Music Performance at UMass Lowell and is currently completing a math degree at Fitchburg State University.

Peter Petrika Melo is experienced as music & piano teacher and concert pianist. He has performed at prestigious venues such as Mechanics Hall, Worcester Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center, and has collaborated with great artists including Luciano Pavarotti. Mr. Melo teaches all levels of students, and styles of music from classical to jazz and more, giving students an opportunity to learn quickly with a high level of piano technique while still being able to enjoy a professional way of performing in recitals and concerts. Many of his former students are now professional musician-performers and teachers.

In addition to their musical skills, Mr. Melo helps students develop:

• Initiative
• Responsibility
• Attention and concentration
• Visual and aural memory
• Time management
• Organization
• Goal-setting and task completion
• Problem solving
• Confidence in facing new challenges.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree & Pianist Diploma, Mr. Melo studied conditioning at The Juilliard School with Prof. Judith Clurman; music theory and jazz composition at Mannes College School of Music with Prof. LeeAnn Ledgerwood; and orchestration with Prof. Peter Bellino.

In addition to teaching piano at Bancroft School, he is the pianist and organist at First Congregational Church in Holden, MA.

David Mancevice studied at E.U. Wurlitzer Music with Michael Herzog before attending Berklee College of Music from 2002-2005. Studying privately with Boston-based guitarists Jon Damian and Bruce Bartlett, David began teaching in 2012 at Kurlan Music and currently teaches at E.L Music. He has been teaching at Bancroft School since 2014. All styles and ages are welcome!!

Renae Renihan has had a passion for music since she was a little girl but it wasn’t until she was 11 that she picked up the cello. She has since been the first cellist for the Worcester Youth Orchestra’s (WYO) Sinfonia and Baroque Orchestras, performing in music halls from New Hampshire to New Jersey. In her senior year of high school, Renae performed for the Worcester Cultural Council as a member of the WYO’s Honor Quartet. Renae is currently enrolled at Worcester State University as a Visual and Performing Arts Major with a concentration in Music. At Worcester State she is involved in the Unplugged Orchestra, the Strings Camerata, and is a regular at the end-of-semester recital for students. She has been teaching cello privately since 2014, and enjoys mentoring the next generation of cellists. Renae likes playing board games and performing music with her five siblings and her pet tortoise Norbert. (Norbert doesn’t play music but he does like a game of Scrabble.)