Elena Nikolai studied under Vincenzo Maria Pintorno at the Milan Conservatory, where she began her vocal training with him in 1930 after returning to Europe from the United States. Pintorno, a distinguished conductor and vocal professor who had taught at the conservatory from 1903 to 1932, became one of her principal teachers and guided her early development as a mezzo-soprano.
According to Ukrainian sources, Nikolai entered the Milan Conservatory in 1929, where she studied singing with Pintorno while facing significant financial hardship. During this period, Pintorno supported her not only as a teacher but also by providing her with a place to live in his home. Her close connection with the family later resulted in her marriage in 1937 to his grandson, Andrea Maggio.
