Who we are
We founded Equal Measure Arts (EMA) to make professional studio recording accessible to all, regardless of age, experience, or resources. After running a music studio in southern Maine for several years, we realized there was a consistent need in our community for financial aid to support students and other under-resourced musicians. These artists show great potential, but are unable to make their voice heard in the music industry because they are forced to compete with others who have more resources to invest in professional recording services. With your help, we can bridge this gap and ensure that all members of our vibrant musical community are represented and celebrated, not just those with the financial means to fund their artistic pursuits.
Pictured here: Sam Monaco (EMA President and Owner of Monaco Studios) with alumni of the Portland Arts and Technology High School music program, as well as current students from Berklee College of Music, after a live in-studio performance (one of our popular all-ages Salon Night concert series).
Meet our board
Sam Monaco, President
Sam is the owner of Monaco Studios in Falmouth, a recording studio that prioritizes education and inclusiveness—and the original inspiration for Equal Measure Arts. Growing up in Portland, Sam has been passionate about the local music scene all his life; from attending all-ages shows around town in middle school, to competing in the local high school rock-off, to helping pioneer music programming at the Children’s Museum of Maine. After a decade spent in New York City playing percussion in rock bands and off-Broadway musicals, he was thrilled to return to Maine in 2020, rejoining the music scene as the owner of a solar-powered studio built into an old farmhouse. Over the years, Monaco Studios has developed a reputation for being a warm and welcoming space where musicians feel immediately at-home, regardless of experience, genre, or cultural background. In particular, students and emerging artists have flocked to the studio to produce professional-caliber records, in large part thanks to student discounts and the studio’s internship program. In order to ensure all of these invaluable offerings are sustainable in the long-term, Sam founded Equal Measure Arts in 2024 with the goal of making audio recording & education even more accessible to our vibrant local community.
Victoria Stubbs, Vice President
A pianist, music teacher and music director for 40+ years, Victoria has been a performer, vocal coach, composer, arranger and theater music director on both coasts. A native New Englander, Victoria has immersed herself in a wide variety of genres, to include classical, musical theater, jazz and contemporary music. After a decade spent in Los Angeles gigging professionally and earning her master’s degree in piano performance and collaborative arts at Thornton School of Music, USC, she returned to Maine in 2000 to teach for Portland Public Schools where she created and developed the contemporary music program at Portland Arts & Technology High School (PATHS). The program is performance-based with a focus on learning songwriting and audio recording in a working studio, offering young people a stepping stone into a career in the music arena. After twenty-three years, Victoria recently retired from PATHS, receiving the honor of Music Teacher of the Year award from Maine Academy of Modern Music. She is the resident Music Director/pianist for the Good Theater in Portland, continues to perform, and teaches private piano and voice lessons. Victoria is thrilled to be sharing her passion to educate and inspire musicians with the EMA team.
Ethan Woodman Fowler, Secretary
Ethan, a lifelong multi-instrumentalist with eclectic musical taste, proudly hails from New Gloucester, Maine. Ethan’s passion for music production ignited while attending Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS). He studied at the New England School of Communications, graduating in 2012 with a BS in Audio Engineering and Music Production. Ethan then returned to his roots and has been teaching audio engineering at PATHS since 2013 (alongside EMA Board Member Victoria Stubbs until her retirement). When he is not teaching, recording, or mixing his students’ impressive work, he can be found practicing his other passion: photography. Ethan has been producing and engineering sessions at Monaco Studios since 2023, bringing his keen ears and love of collaboration to help clients create their best work — with a particular emphasis on working with student musicians and production interns.
Kristopher Kleva, Treasurer
Kristopher has been an enthusiastic member of the Monaco Studios community since 2023; first, as a passionate attendee of the studio’s Salon Night concert series, and now as a board member of Equal Measure Arts. He is an experienced API Platform Technical Leader, Evangelist and Community Organizer specializing in e-commerce, Creative Management, IoT and Cloud Computing. He has a proven track record of success in implementing a wide range of platforms; utilizing best of breed vendor products along with highly specialized custom-built applications. His past experience includes holding technical leadership roles at L.L. Bean, serving as Sr Programmer/Analyst at E-Commerce, founding two companies (Klevland Internet & Multimedia Corp and Maine Drone Society), and acting as the Director of Internet Technologies Creative Management Tools. He also serves as a board member of Mechanics Hall in Portland, Maine.
Noah Love, Development Director
Noah grew up alongside EMA founder Sam Monaco in Portland, Maine, where they had many formative experiences together — including rocking out to Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill in 2nd grade and forming their first band in 5th grade. Noah is now Senior Director for People at Wonder, and serves as an advisor to venture-backed startups including Bandit Running and Thoughtful AI. Before Wonder, Noah was a founding employee at Jet.com, later acquired by Walmart, where he worked in eCommerce mergers and acquisitions. Noah received his undergraduate degree from Eckerd College and his MBA from Norwich University. After graduation he returned to his alma mater Hebron Academy and worked in the Admissions Office leading international student recruitment, eventually joining their board in 2022. Noah lives on a farm in New York with his husband Jonathan, their two dogs, and a bunch of chickens and bees.