About Empowered Artistry
Our Founders
Empowered Artistry is a music studio founded by Rachel Abbatiello and Angelica Stanley, offering instruction in piano, voice, songwriting, and dramatic coaching. The studio's mission is to nurture creativity, build confidence, and provide a supportive environment for students to explore their musical and artistic talents.
Meet Angelica Stanley
Angelica Stanley is a passionate vocalist, pianist, educator, and co-founder of Empowered Artistry, a private voice studio dedicated to nurturing confident, expressive performers. She has a background in classical and romantic era opera, musical theatre, and choral music. She has been playing piano professionally for over a decade at many weddings, church services, and other important events and has been playing ukulele for 6 years. Angelica has performed in many opera, classical and baroque masterwork, and musical theatre productions, including but not limited to: Die Fledermaus, Mary Poppins, Legally Blonde, and Mozart’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Kenny Potter. She will be performing in a choir tour throughout England in May of 2026. She is currently an active member of the Charlotte Master Chorale, which is the resident choir of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and of the First Presbyterian Church Sanctuary Choir of Charlotte.
She holds a degree in Music Education, with concentrations in choral and elementary music with additional training in special education, music therapy, wellness, and therapeutic gardening. She specializes in using holistic, mindful techniques to work with neurodivergent students and students with performance anxiety to teach them coping tools that will help them in performance and in life.
Angelica was most recently the Chorus Program Director at Jay M Robinson High School. During that time, she served as music director of SpongeBob the Musical, Matilda, and Mamma Mia. This summer of 2025, she expanded her realm of influence into the Choral music composer community, by holding the position of assistant to the executive director of the inaugural International Choral Composers Institute. She is incredibly passionate about fostering an inclusive artistic community that celebrates and empowers everyone, creating opportunities to mentor students and enrich their lives, and amplifying her students’ confidence in their music-making abilities and identities as citizens of the world.
Meet Rachel Abbatiello
Rachel Abbatiello is a versatile soprano, educator, and co-founder of a dynamic private voice studio at In Tune School of the Arts in Concord, NC. With a background that spans opera, musical theatre, R&B, and choral music, she has performed internationally with the Mediterranean Opera Studio in Sicily and on stage at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Grammy-winner Eric Whitacre. Rachel’s teaching is informed by dual degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education, as well as her experience in special education, meditation, and therapeutic gardening. She is the director and co-founder of MicDrop, a musical theatre intensive for young performers, and has guided students into top programs including Berklee College of Music, Howard University, and UNCSA. Rachel also serves on the board of the Charlotte Chamber Choir and is passionate about cultivating inclusive, expressive spaces where singers of all backgrounds can thrive.
