From New England to Florida's Gulf Coast, Nic conducts musical delights from Bach, Mozart, Strauss & more

One week, he's surrounded by the auburn glow of autumn foliage in Rhode Island. The next, he's basking in the Florida sun surrounded by palm trees. Such was Nic's busy October as he took to the stage for performances up and down the U.S.'s East Coast.

First up was a one-night-only performance with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. Bookended by the opening fanfare of J.S. Bach's Third Orchestral Suite and the final riotous dances of Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony, the program also featured the phenomenal pianist Jeremy Denk in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22.

Then Nic headed south for his latest performance with the musicians of the Sarasota Orchestra. Different groups of instruments shared the spotlight in Richard Strauss's early Serenade for Winds and Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for Strings before joining forces for a triumphant performance of Haydn's "London" Symphony.

Ahead of the Sarasota performances, Nic sat down with WUSF's Susan Giles Wantuck to discuss why Purcell might be his favorite English composer, the Welsh influences behind Elgar's Introduction and Allegro, and why he doesn't believe in retirement when you do what you really love.

Up next: A Handel rarity with Curtis Opera Theatre

Nic makes his debut with Curtis Opera Theatre in Philadelphia this month, where he'll lead a cast of rising young opera singers and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in Handel's L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (The Cheerful Man, the Thoughtful Man, and the Moderate Man). One of the composer's rarely performed oratorios, L'Allegro uses the poetry of the 17th-century English writer John Milton for an inspiring exploration of the wonders of nature and the mysteries of life.

Hear an introduction to Handel's fascinating work in this short video from Nic, and be sure to read an interview with Curtis's Ryan Scott Lathan, where Nic illuminates why L'Allegro is an unusual and experimental work for Handel and how the moral of its story is "very Buddhist, in that the middle way [in life] is the thing to seek

Messiah season is almost here!

It's never too early to get into the celebratory spirit of year-end holidays, and few works unlock those festive feelings quite like Handel's Messiah.

In the first of several engagements this fall performing Handel's most beloved work, Nic will join forces with the Grand Rapids Symphony and Chorus and a quartet of incredible soloists: soprano Sherezade Panthaki, contralto Sara Couden, tenor Thomas Cooley, and bass Tyler Duncan. This pair of concerts will create a unique atmosphere for the audience, as the work will be performed by candlelight to evoke Messiah's 1742 premiere in Dublin.

Coming up in December …

• Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (December 1–2)

• Edmonton Symphony (December 8–9)

• New Jersey Symphony (December 15 & 17)

• Philadelphia Orchestra (December 20–21)