MEET OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Steve Andreoni is originally from Wauwatosa, and graduated from Marquette University High School, where he received the CIVIC MUSIC MKE High School Award! After graduating from Marquette University, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a studio and gigging musician. Steve currently resides in Southeastern Wisconsin where he plays electric and acoustic bass throughout the region.
Steve Andreoni
Paul Cannestra, born and raised in the Milwaukee Area, is a retired executive with a broad range of leadership experiences leading both frontend marketing teams as well as Service organizations. He holds a EMBA from UW-Madison. Paul shares that, "My personal experience with CIVIC MUSIC MKE was through my son's participation in the High School Competition. I saw firsthand how it helped his development as a young artist and propelled him to his Doctorate in Piano performance. These experiences drove me to give my time and talents to CIVIC MUSIC MKE and hopefully help other young adults achieve their musical goals."
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Paul Cannestra
NEW BOARD MEMBERS IN 2024
Ben Piette
My first few years after completing my undergraduate studies have been both exciting and challenging. After I graduated with a degree in music composition and technology, I took a position as a live audio engineer. After eight months there, I left that job security to pursue more seriously playing music, which I was not able to do around the live event audio production schedule – certainly, this has been one of the most frightening but also most rewarding risks I have ever taken! I play as many shows as I possibly can, I still do audio work (mostly in the recording/mixing studio), I teach, and I write music, and that all makes me very happy.
My primary instrument is the drum set. My father was a drummer and he got me started, teaching me to listen to and imitate great drummers. I made music with my friends in my parents’ basement and played in my grade school talent show every year, and when a band program was added I joined it instantly in both the saxophone and the percussion sections. In early high school I joined the jazz band, percussion ensemble, and concert band and began sitting in with pros in big band and jazz combo gigs around town.
Now, besides performing jazz with a rotating door of wonderful musicians around Milwaukee, I play as the standing drummer in two bands – one a jazz/R&B/video game music-esque fusion band called “Pretendacle”, and the other an alternative/math/noise rock band called “CREDENTIALS?” I also play in many recitals during college recital season and in the recording studio for various projects. I am very lucky to make music with such a plethora of fantastic musicians and am always looking for more opportunities to do so!
I joined the CIVIC MUSIC MKE Board of Directors in April and have so far been warmed by the enthusiastic welcome extended to me. My role, besides the general promotion of live music and accessible music education, relates primarily to event planning. Currently, I am on the planning committee for our KIDS MUSICFEST set to premiere November 10 that aims to show children how much fun creating music with others is. I am thrilled to be a part of this organization and very grateful to work with the talented and good-willed team that is CIVIC MUSIC MKE.
I am a Program Manager at for the Kern National Network at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I am a design thinker, entrepreneur, and educator. My work at MCW has been focused on Human-Centered Design and is supportive of multiple department and disciplines at MCW and in the Milwaukee community.
I have a strong background in music and taught private voice lessons for fifteen years and lectured at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before transitioning to MCW. This is my second time around on the CIVIC MUSIC Board! I served on the CIVIC MUSIC board back in 2017 through 2019 and have been a consistent volunteer and supporter of the programming at CIVIC MUSIC. I also have the pleasure of serving on the board of directors for Bel Canto Chorus and am dedicated to advocating for the performing arts in Milwaukee.
In my free time, I love to read, refinish furniture, garden, and learn new creative skills.
Antonina Johnston