Curtis and Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel

His inspirations span science, literature, and everyday life—from reef-saving coral research and Da Vinci’s failed flying machines to his morning coffee and favorite episodes of Star Trek. As a composer, educator, and artistic leader, Nick works from the conviction that music can spark connection and welcome people into inclusive communities.

A Rhodes Scholar, Nick has received commissions from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Tacoma, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, New College Choir, arx duo, Sandbox Percussion, PRISM Quartet, and others. His works have been performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra Winds, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, and many other ensembles and artists. His forays into film music contributed to an AudioFile Earphones Award for This is Not My Hat, Scholastic’s film and audiobook adaptation of the Caldecott Medal-winning story by Jon Klassen.

Nick expands the reach of new music through imaginative, cross-disciplinary collaborations. In 2024, he joined forces with actor John de Lancie (Star Trek, Breaking Bad) for two programs exploring art and inspiration, featuring Nick’s Darmok & Jalad alongside a world premiere based on text by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. The pair will debut another project in 2026. Nick co-founded Nodality Music, a nonprofit forging direct connections between artists, audiences, and the wider world, which is currently leading a commissioning and educational initiative on music and climate justice. Nick’s children’s opera Anansi and the Great Light, produced by the Curtis Family Concert Series, pioneered a community-driven creative process highlighted by PBS WHYY. He also launched Creative Expression Through Music, a partnership between the Curtis Institute of Music and the Penn Memory Center, engaging patients and caregivers in the co-creation of new works.

As director of the Curtis New Music Ensemble, Nick champions cutting-edge contemporary classical music through the highest level of artistry. He has also served as an artistic consultant for the Tanglewood Music Center, advising on repertoire curation and creative direction for its historic Festival of Contemporary Music.

Nick previously co-founded and directed the Oxford Laptop Orchestra (OxLOrk), England’s first laptop orchestra. Powered by hemispherical speakers and custom software instruments, the ensemble brought together musicians and coders in live performance. In its inaugural year, the ensemble gave five concerts, including collaborations with the Ashmolean Museum and London’s Barbican Centre.

Nick earned degrees in composition from Princeton University (B.A., M.F.A.), the University of Oxford (M.Phil, with distinction), Yale School of Music (M.M.), and Curtis Institute of Music (Post-Baccalaureate Diploma, Community Artist Fellowship).

Nick serves as provost and dean of the conservatory at Curtis Institute of Music, where he holds the Rock Chair in Composition Studies. He is a composition faculty member and program coordinator at the Tanglewood Music Center, holding the Renee Longy Master Teacher Chair. He teaches at the highSCORE Festival and was a founding faculty member for the Emerging Composers Intensive at Hidden Valley Music Seminars.

Miguel da Silva is a Master in Residence in the viola and chamber music section at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium. He has appeared as a soloist with the Paris Chamber Orchestra, the Polish Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre d’Auvergne, the Franz-Liszt orchestra of Budapest, the Orchestra de Bretagne, and the Orchestre “Les Siecles.” He is the founder of the Ysaÿe Quartet and also founded his own record company, Ysaÿe Records.