Nicholas’ musical journey started at age 8 when he joined the Christ Church Cathedral Choir as a junior chorister. Training under Director of Music Michael Gormley, he received the Bishop’s Medal of the Royal School of Church Music at the age of 13, and performed Mozart’s Requiem alongside the Capriccio Choir and the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. After graduating from the choir, Nicholas started to explore musicianship on instruments including the guitar, bass, and piano. He performed in his high school concert and jazz bands. In his early teen years, piano began to take more and more of his time as he discovered and learned works by Yann Tiersen such as “Mother’s Journey” and “Comptine D’un Autre Éte.” At age 15, he composed his first solo piano piece, written on a piano that was surrounded by moving boxes in his Grandparents’ garage.
That first song sparked a snowball effect of self taught musical composition and discovery, culminating in his first full album, “Compositions and Improvisation”, released at age 17. The years following the release of his first album saw huge strides in improvisation, as he began to realize his dream of directly sharing the music only he could hear with those around him. His technique and ability had finally begun to catch up with what had always been there on the inside. He began to compose prolifically, playing anywhere from two to five hours a day of unique and improvised music. At age 20, Nicholas released “Improviso Volume 1”, an album of pure improvisation on piano recorded in two 2-hour sessions. This album represented his growth and progress as an artist and musician. Since releasing “Improviso Volume 1”, Nicholas has performed his improvised music at receptions, weddings, museums, and hotels throughout his hometown of Victoria, BC. He is continually developing his skill and his art, absorbing music around him and gaining a higher understanding of how his music connects with those who hear it through its inherently emotional nature.