Nick is a percussionist who thrives in seemingly disparate musical worlds—and he likes it that way. A melting pot of America’s great musical traditions, Nick combines the energy of rock and roll and the fluidity of his jazz idols with the exploration and precision of a modern percussionist.
As a touring musician, Nick has traveled all over the world. He went on the road with a Chicago Blues Hall of Fame guitarist, traveled to China on an orchestral tour, and was an artist-in-residence at the Art College of Inner Mongolia. In 2019, he was invited to adjudicate one of the largest drum set festivals in China, the Hangzhou Drum Competition. He has performed at some of the United States’ finest festivals and venues, such as the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, the Elmhurst Jazz Festival (where he earned the Outstanding Soloist award), and Moody Performance Hall.
Nick’s attention to detail and musical prowess make him right at home in the studio. Whether he’s recording an album with Grammy-award winners or exploring new sounds in his home studio, his recordings have been elected to the Grammy nomination process and have been featured in the Chicago Reader, Jazz Times, and on radio stations across the world.
Nick is a sought-after musician for musical theater productions. He’s played musicals such as Sister Act, White Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Sunday in the Park with George, and more. He’s performed at the Historic Mercury Theatre in Chicago, the Lexington Opera House, and other prestigious venues throughout the country.
A proponent of new music, Nick has recorded, performed, premiered, and commissioned dozens of new works. He’s commissioned works from Ivan Trevino, Robert Honstein, and Francisco Perez. He’s also composed two pieces for solo drum set, Mantra and Rolex. His current projects focus on the drum set as a solo percussion instrument and on multi-discipline, collaborative efforts, drawing together dance, music, and art. As a performer, he’s subbed with Grammy-award-winning chamber group, Third Coast Percussion, was a founding member of Nu Atmospheres, and has performed solo recitals at universities across the United States. He’s performed with chamber groups at the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art, the Big Ears Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and the Murchison Performing Arts Center. A close collaborator of Dr. Christopher Poovey, Nick premiered his work for Hi-Hat and electronics, “Within Waves,” at the Electronic Music Midwest Festival in 2022. In 2019, Nick also premiered Dr. Poovey’s work for solo drum set, “Cybernetic Overload.”
A passionate educator, Nick has taught at schools across the country, thousands of private lessons, and as a Teaching Assistant at the University of North Texas. During his time at North Texas, Nick instructed the Percussion Ensemble, the 8 O’Clock Steel Band, a Percussion Methods course, and taught lessons to undergraduate Jazz and Classical Percussion Majors. He’s also presented clinics and masterclasses at Lamar University, Southern Illinois-Carbondale, Tennessee Tech University, Eastern Tennessee State University, and Midwestern State University.
Nick is a native and current resident of Charleston, South Carolina. He graduated from the prestigious percussion programs of the University of Kentucky and the University of North Texas, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in percussion performance, respectively. He has been lucky enough to study with some of this generation’s leading percussionists and drummers, including James Campbell, Mark Ford, Christopher Deane, Tom Hipskind, Paul Deatherage, Quincy Davis, Paul Rennick, and Jason McGerr.