Nikolas James

An American composer and pianist, Nikolas James founded and directed the Nevada Chamber Orchestra in 2017, and while enrolled in graduate studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), he served on the inaugural committee which established the NEON music festival (Nevada Encounters Of New music), a yearly composers’ symposium consisting of four days of concerts, lectures, private lessons and masterclasses. While in Las Vegas, he taught for about a decade at four higher educational institutions, including UNLV, the College of Southern Nevada and The Art Institute of Las Vegas. At UNLV, he earned a dual Masters Degree with emphases in Piano, Music Composition and Music Theory, during which time he also appeared as a regular performer in the university’s “Nextet” new music ensemble. Today, Nikolas is actively performing and teaching in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he maintains a private studio preparing young students for college music studies, and is adjunct professor at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD.

In all that he does musically and pedagogically, he is a firm believer in studying the riches contained in the Classics, and also believes that artists must be well-rounded and versatile. His own interests encompass many areas of the humanities, as well as more technical pursuits. He has worked in areas as diverse as high-energy physics, oil painting, astronomy, and ornithology, to name a few. Everything we experience in life can find its expression in music.