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Christopher Nickel
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| Name | Christopher Nickel |
| About Me | With his music being heard in over 160 countries, award-winning composer Christopher Tyler Nickel has made a name for himself as a successful writer of concert music, as well as music for the theatre, film and television. He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia School of Music with a degree in composition, and upon graduation furthered his studies in both New York and Los Angeles. Christopher’s music has been called “Epic without being at all overdone… with thrilling orchestral textures… Riveting” ★★★★ (BBC Music magazine), “… full of life: imagination, invention, variation … this is composition at its best – arresting and masterful.” (The Whole Note), “The music is tightly woven and hangs together sturdily. There is no dwindling of vitality across these 53 minutes.” (MusicWeb International), “… substantial, often engaging…” (Gramophone Magazine), “…intensely focused…. a rewarding experience, and although it is an intense experience, it can be an uplifting, energizing experience. A stretching experience, if you will.” (Classical Candor), and “the athleticism of both Nickel’s music and the performers is exhilarating … The orchestral writing is strikingly beautiful” (MusicWeb International). In the world of film and television music, Christopher has composed music for hundreds of hours of film and television productions for clients that include the Discovery Channel, Corus Entertainment, SyFy Channel, Hallmark, Alliance Atlantis Television, YTV, Lifetime, NBC, the National Film Board of Canada, National Geographic, Teletoon, Cinetel, HGTV, Telefilm Canada, W-Network, Animal Planet, TLC, and the History Channel. His scores include music for Highway thru Hell, which at the time it premiered was the highest rated show on the Discovery networks ever and has been seen around the world. Other series includes the critically acclaimed Airshow for Discovery, Game of Homes, the top-rated Heavy Rescue: 401, Untold Stories of the ER for TLC, High Arctic Hauler, The Nature of Things for the CBC, Mud Mountain, and Wild Bear Rescue for Animal Planet. Other scores include Transparency starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Estella Warren, The Christmas Consultant starring David Hasselhoff and Caroline Rhea, All of my Heart, starring Lacey Chabert, Brennan Elliot, and Ed Asner, Love in Paradise starring Luke Perry, and Journey Back to Christmas starring Candice Cameron Bure and Tom Skerritt. Christopher is the composer-in-residence of the Lionsgate Sinfonia and the author of numerous concert works which have been performed by orchestras and chamber ensembles in Canada, the United States, and Europe. In 2002, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic performed his “Fanfare for Freedom” for an audience of 40,000. This performance was also broadcast live on the U.S. east coast for their July 4th celebrations. Another highlight was the Vancouver Symphony’s performance of that same work for an audience of 9,000 at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby. Other works include a concerto for piccolo/flute/alto flute written especially for Sarah Jackson (piccolo of the Los Angeles Philharmonic); Tranquility for solo English horn and orchestra, which was premiered by the Vancouver Symphony’s English hornist, Beth Orson; and in 2015 the premiere of his Oboe Concerto written for Roger Cole, principal oboe of the Vancouver Symphony. Other major works include a Requiem; his hour-long, one movement Symphony No.2 (released by Avie Records), and a seven-hour oratorio setting the Gospel According to Mark. Other ensembles having performed Christopher’s works include the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Champagne-Urbana Symphony (Illinois), Grand Rapids Symphony (Michigan), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, The Sammamish Symphony, Bartlesville Symphony, Kamloops Symphony, The Black Hills Symphony, Carolina Philharmonic, DuPage Symphony, College Light Opera Orchestra Massachusetts, Vancouver Youth Symphony, Vancouver Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, Fraser Valley Symphony, North Shore Sinfonia, North Bay Symphony, Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble, I Tromboni, Festival Wind Orchestra, Ad Mare Wind Quintet, West Coast Symphony, as well as many other university, youth and semi-professional and professional orchestras and concert bands. In both 2002 and 2003, Christopher composed music for the very popular “Bard on the Beach” Shakespeare Festival Concerts in Vancouver, working with renowned actor/director Christopher Gaze. Christopher’s music is published by C.F. Peters, Robert Wendel Music, C. Alan Publications, and the Canadian Music Centre. His critically acclaimed recordings include the album “Concertos for Oboe” (released by Avie Records) which features his Concerto for Oboe, Concerto for Oboe d’amore (both with Mary Lynch as soloist), and his Concerto for Bass Oboe (with Harrison Linsey as soloist), accompanied by the Northwest Sinfonia under the baton of David Sabee. The Centrediscs release of “Music for Woodwind Choirs” in 2019, which includes his Suite for Oboe Ensemble and Symphony for Flute Choir, both conducted by Clyde Mitchell and recorded in Vancouver. And his critically acclaimed “Symphony No. 2” also released by Avie Records has garnered glowing reviews from many leading music publications including BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone Magazine. His awards include four SOCAN Awards, the 2004 Gold Metal at the Park City Film Music Festival, the 2002 Golden Key International Performing Arts Award for Musical Composition, two 2009 JPF awards for “Best Contemporary Classical Album” as well as “Best Contemporary Classical Song”, fourteen Leo Award nominations and two wins for his film and television music, and a Western Canadian Music Award nomination in 2021 for “Concertos for Oboe”. |
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| Professional Organizations | SOCAN, SCGC, ASMAC, CMC, SCL |
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