Mandy's Music

Mandy Sullivan-Schneider is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and educator from Connecticut. Mandy is a musician trained in guitar, piano, and voice.

Mandy graduated cum laude from The Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford. There she studied classical guitar performance under the tutelage of internationally acclaimed pedagogues Richard Provost and Christopher Ladd. Her journey included masterclasses with virtuoso guitarists such as Marcin Dylla, Antigoni Goni, Ana Vidovic, Scott Tennant, Odair Assad, The Brasil Guitar Duo, and Jason Vieaux.

Post-graduation, Mandy became a performer for weddings, corporate events, and wineries. She also joined the chamber music trio, Celticity. Celticity's repertoire focused on classical arrangements of traditional Celtic folk songs.

As the classical guitarist for Celticity, Mandy played alongside flutist Megan Nelson and Soprano Phred Mileski. Celticity performed programs in southeastern Connecticut for the Eastern Point Beach Concert Series, Christ Episcopal Church in Norwich, CT and St. Patrick’s Cathedral  in Norwich, CT which included a piece accompanying a full choir.

After Celticity, Mandy expanded further as a singer-songwriter with The BeeKeepers, an original alternative-folk group. The group was known for the wide range of instrumentation used among the three band members in both recording and live performances.  The three members were: Mandy (voice, guitar, merlin-dulcimer, ukulele, piano) Phred Mileski (voice, piano, accordion, hand percussion, ukulele) and Sylvie Abate (guitar, bass, banjitar).  The BeeKeepers focused on playing original songs written by all three members and covered songs written by women in the music industry from the 1950s to the present.

The BeeKeepers’  gained attention and in May 2017  they won Akademia's Best EP for Folk/Singer-Songwriter for, "Songs from the Hive." The Huffington Post lauded the EP, describing it as "a hearing-secret-harmonies experience that goes beyond delightful and enters the realm of fabulous."

After The BeeKeepers, Mandy and Sylvie continued their musical journey as Sylvie & Mandy, achieving recognition with a silver medal from the Global Music Awards in 2019 for the alternative folk song, "Broken Year." Their song, "Roots Run Deep" earned a Gold Medal from Global for Best Lyrics/Songwriter and Best Female Vocalist in the United States.

In addition to her career as a songwriter and performer, Mandy is a dedicated music educator. She has shared her expertise in guitar, ukulele, and piano with institutions such as The MusicMaker's Academy, The Musician's Co-Op, and School of Rock. In 2018, Amanda took a leap by establishing her private studio, Mandy's Music Lessons. Mandy's Music Lessons shares a storefront with vocalist Rose Coppola at Rose Studios in Milford, CT.

Mandy Sullivan-Schneider's musical journey is a testament to her versatility and unwavering passion. Her mission is to explore new musical horizons and to create a lasting impact on the world of music.