Quick Nic Facts

Born

Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire. U.K. (1950)

Education

Nottingham High School (1957-1969)
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (1969-1972)
Magdalen College, Oxford (1972-1975)
Scholarships: Music Scholarship Corpus Christi, Cambridge
Degrees: B.A. (Cantab.) 1st Class honours. 1972
M.A. (Cantab.) 1976
L.T.C.L. – Piano 1968 (Licentiate of Trinity College of Music, London)

Honors/Awards

Hon. R.C.M. (Honorary degree from Royal College of Music, London) 1977
Grammy Nomination – Best Choral Performance (Other than Opera) – “Handel: Susanna” 1990
Grammy Nomination - Haydn 104/88/101 (Best Orchestral Recording)
Hon. Prof. Georg-August University, Göttingen (Honorary Professor of Philosophy, Georg-August University, Göttingen) 2006
O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) 2010
Grammy Nomination – Best Orchestra Performance – “Haydn: Symphonies 104, 88 & 101” 2012
Honorary degree of Doctor of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, California 2013
Two Diapasons d'Or for Nicola Matteis, volumes 1 and 2

Directorships/Posts

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide, Australia, Artist-in-Association, (2014 – 2016)
Pasadena Symphony & Pops, Principal Guest Conductor (2013 – 2020)
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, San Francisco, California, Music Director, (1985 – 2020)
International Handel-Festival Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany, Artistic Director, (1991 – 2011)
Arcadian Academy, San Francisco, CA, Artistic Director and Founder, (1992 – )
Drottningholm Court Theatre, Sweden, Principal Conductor (1993 – 1996)
Irish Chamber Orchestra, Limerick, Ireland, Music Director, (2002 – 2005)
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Artist-in-Residence, (2003 – 2006)
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Baroque Artistic Consultant, (1990 – 1992)
Scottish Opera, Glasgow, Scotland, Principal Guest Conductor, (1993 – 1998)
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, St. Paul, MN, Baroque Series Director, (1999 – 2004), Artistic Partner (2004 – 2009)

Teaching  Experience

Supervisor at King’s College, Cambridge (1973-79)
Supervisor at Oriel College, Oxford (1974-75)
Professor of Baroque Flute, R.C.M., London (1973-79)
Professor of Music History, R.C.M., London (1975-79)
Director of Early Music, R.C.M., London (1976-80)
Artist-in-Residence, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri (1979-85)

Lectures/Residencies

Christoph Wolff Distinguished Scholar, Harvard University
Yale Center for British Art
Yale Institute for Sacred Music
Juilliard School
Lewis Walpole Library Lecture, Yale University
American Handel Society
University of California, Berkeley
Stanford University, California
University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
Estherháza International Haydn Course
Oberlin College, Ohio
San Francisco Conservatory
New England Conservatory

Orchestral Engagements (as conductor)

Modern Instruments (incomplete)

Adelaide Symphony – Australia
Aspen Music Festival – USA
Atlanta Symphony – USA
Baltimore Symphony – USA
BBC Scottish Symphony – UK
BBC Wales Symphony – UK
Budapest Festival Orchestra – Hungary
Calgary Philharmonic – Canada
City of Birmingham Symphony – UK
Chicago Symphony – USA
Cleveland Orchestra – USA
Dallas Symphony — USA
Detroit Symphony – USA
Hallé Orchestra – UK
Hong Kong Philharmonic — Hong Kong
Houston Symphony – USA
Irish Chamber Orchestra – Ireland
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra – Israel
Kansas City Symphony – USA
Les Violons du Roy – Canada
Los Angeles Philharmonic – USA
Malaysian Philharmonic – Malaysia
Melbourne Symphony – Australia
Minnesota Orchestra – USA
Montreal Symphony – Canada
Nashville Symphony – USA
National Symphony – USA
New York Philharmonic – USA
New Zealand Symphony – New Zealand
Royal Northern Sinfonia – UK
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande – Switzerland
Orchestra of St. Luke’s – USA
Pasadena Symphony & Pops – USA
Philadelphia Orchestra – USA
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – Netherlands
Royal Scottish National Orchestra – UK
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra – Ireland
San Francisco Symphony – USA
Scottish Chamber Orchestra – UK
Seattle Symphony – USA
St. Louis Symphony – USA
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra – USA
Swedish Chamber Orchestra – Sweden
Sydney Symphony – Australia
Toronto Symphony – Canada
Van Cliburn Competition – USA

Period Instruments (incomplete)

Capella Savaria – Hungary
Concerto Köln – Germany
The English Concert – UK
Festival Orchestra Göttingen – Germany
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra – Germany
The Hanover Band – UK
Handel & Haydn Society – USA
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment – UK
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra – USA
Portland Baroque Orchestra - USA

Opera Engagements (as conductor)

Modern Instruments (incomplete)

English National Opera – UK
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden – UK
San Francisco Opera – USA
Santa Fe Opera – USA
Scottish Opera – UK
Washington Opera – USA

Period Instruments (incomplete)

Berkeley Early Music Festival – USA
Drottningholm Court Theatre – Sweden
International Handel-Festival, Göttingen – Germany
Mostly Mozart Festival – USA

Festivals (as conductor)

Aspen Music Festival – USA
BBC Proms – UK
Blossom Festival – USA
Caramoor Music Festival – USA
Edinburgh International Festival – UK
Hollywood Bowl – USA
International Handel-Festival Göttingen – Germany
Mostly Mozart Festival – USA
Ravinia Festival – USA
Sarasota Music Festival – USA
Tanglewood Music Festival – USA
Virginia Arts Festival – USA

Dance Engagements (as conductor)

Mark Morris Dance Group at:

  • Brooklyn Academy of Music

  • Cal Performances/UC Berkeley

  • Edinburgh Festival

  • Mostly Mozart Festival, New York City

  • Orange County Performing Arts Center

  • Ravinia Festival

  • Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

New York Baroque Dance Company at:

  • Cal Performances/UC Berkeley

  • International Handel-Festival Göttingen

  • St. Paul Chamber Orchestra