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Michael Nicolella
May 19th, 2006 at 8:00 PM
Since the passing of Andres Segovia the guitar world has needed an advocate ... perhaps
Michael Nicolella is that person.˛
THE WASHINGTON POST
"remarkable... breathtaking... superb... a fully enlightened musician of our
time."
CLASSICAL GUITAR
With a repertoire spanning from J.S. Bach to Jimi Hendrix, Michael Nicolella is recognized as one of America's most
innovative classical guitar virtuosos. He has received wide critical acclaim for his performances, recordings and compositions. As a concert artist, Michael
has performed throughout North America and Europe as solo recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with orchestra.
A uniquely eclectic and versatile
artist, Nicolella blurs the lines between musical styles and disciplines. He is part of a growing trend in classical music to
revitalize the role of the
composer/performer. As a concert artist he frequently programs his own works for guitar in solo, chamber and orchestral settings. Known for his creative
programming, he has introduced electric guitar into his classicalą programs and extended the repertoire and audience of his instrument not only with his own
compositions and transcriptions, but also by premiering and commissioning works by some of today's most exciting emerging composers. Nicole is currently
composing a new work for electric guitar and orchestra underwritten by 4Culture.
Michael has performed with the Seattle Symphony, Mere Cunning ham
Dance Company, Seattle Creative Orchestra, Ensemble Sepses, Seattle Guitar Quartet, Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Seattle Choral Company, and the Northwest
Symphony Orchestra.
His most recent CD, Shard, was released in May 2005. The recording features his composition for classical guitar and orchestra, Guitar
Concerto, performed with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Anthony Spain, along with music of Reich, Carter, Terri Veldhuis, DeLaurent, Measlier
and Kohl. The disc is a stylistic follow up to his critically acclaimed 2000 CD release of eclectic contemporary music for classical and electric guitar, Push. In
Gramophone John Duarte described the CD as ła display of stunning technical skill and unfailing musicality.˛ Composer John Fit Rogers’ epic, Transit,
for electric guitar and computer-driven virtual ensemble, with Nicole as soloist, was released on CD in April 2002 reaching into the top 10 best-selling classical
CDs on Amazon.com.
As a performer and composer, Michael has been awarded grants, commissions and fellowships from ASAP, Culture, American Composers Forum,
Wisconsin Arts Board, Washington State Arts Commission, Seattle Arts Commission and was first prize winner of both the Portland and Northwest solo classical
guitar competitions. He holds degrees from Yale University, Berkley College of Music and the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Sienna, Italy. From 1991-1995 he
served as head of the classical guitar programs at Lawrence University and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. He currently resides in Seattle.
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