An accomplished violinist, music educator and horse breeder and trainer, Lisa Ann DeNuzzo has had a long-lasting love of music. While she initially began attending college for pre-law, she realized that she couldn’t live without music and transferred to Baldwin Wallace University, where she earned a Bachelor of Music in violin performance in 1983. During this time, she was introduced to horseback riding through a course she took to fill her physical education requirement and fell in love with the sport. Subsequently, Ms. DeNuzzo joined the College of Saint Rose and achieved a Master of Education in music pedagogy in 1985, followed by a certificate of qualification as a school administrator and supervisor in the state of New York.
Ms. DeNuzzo began her career as a music teacher for the Duanesburg Central School District in 1985 before joining the Greater Amsterdam School District in 1986. Remaining with the school district for three decades, she concurrently shared her expertise as a violin instructor at her private music studio, the Lisa DeNuzzo Violin Studio, which was also established in 1986. From 1990 to 2010, she owned and operated Touch of Elegance, where she offered her services as a musician to various formal events, such as weddings, cocktail parties and college commencements. More recently, in 2014, Ms. DeNuzzo established Edit Proof, a freelance editing business that emerged from repeated requests to proofread manuscripts for free.
Over the course of her career in music, Ms. DeNuzzo has performed with several symphonies, including the Catskill Symphony Orchestra, the Utica Symphony Orchestra, the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra and the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra, and the Covington String Quartet. Furthermore, she has had the opportunity to perform alongside a number of esteemed musicians, such as Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole, Smokey Robinson, Don McLean, Rosemary Clooney, Debby Boone, John McClaine, and John Starkey, the son of Ringo Star of The Beatles. Ms. DeNuzzo also notably played with Peter Frampton as part of the British Rock Symphony.
In addition to her 30-year tenure in music and education, Ms. DeNuzzo is today the estate owner of Daisy Meadow Farm, which is home to a prestigious horse breeding and training program, and she notably owns the exclusive breeding prefix “IM” for her Morgan horses, some of which are World and National Champions. To keep abreast of new developments in her field, she is an active member of the American Morgan Horse Association and was previously involved with the United Professional Horsemen’s Association. She has also used her expertise to contribute articles to Saddle & Bridle magazine. Furthermore, Ms. DeNuzzo rents out the rooms of Daisy Meadow Farm’s mansion house for short-term residence and has had various celebrities as guests.
Ms. DeNuzzo has always been incredibly active with charitable endeavors as well, including being a strong advocate for eating disorder awareness. In September 2022, she opened up a community store that provides a wide range of necessities to her local community, including fuel; hunting and fishing supplies; food and beverages, ranging from pantry staples to prepackaged snacks to baked goods; ice; animal feed; and even public restrooms. She is also hoping to be able to eventually offer wine and beer from local wineries and breweries. In addition, Ms. DeNuzzo hopes to do outreach with the local Mexican migrant communities to provide aid in sending money home to their families, as currently, there is only one location they can send money from.
As she looks toward the future, Ms. DeNuzzo has plans for continued education and intends to pursue a degree in social work. In addition to having already spent time volunteering with social service and foster care groups, she hopes to bring a riding therapy program to Daisy Meadows Farm. Since 2022, she has supported a scholarship at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia. Ms. DeNuzzo attributes much of her success to her parents, Dr. Rinaldo Vincent DeNuzzo and Lucy Bernardine, who were great sources of inspiration. She would advise young and aspiring professionals to work hard, never give up on their dreams and not be afraid to modify their plans.
