Nicholas Phillips

About Nicholas

Described by The New York Times as a “talented and entrepreneurial pianist” and an “able and persuasive advocate” of new music, Nicholas Phillips’ playing has been praised for its “bejeweled accuracy” (Fanfare) and as “razor-sharp yet wonderfully spirited” (American Records Guide). He maintains an active schedule as a soloist and collaborative artist having performed all across the United States. He has also given solo recitals and performances in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa.

Phillips is an active recording artist and champion of living composers. In 2011, he released two CDs on Albany Records: Portals and Passages, which features the piano music of American composer Ethan Wickman (b.1973), and Boris Papandopulo: Piano Music. Recent releases include American Vernacular: New Music for Solo Piano (New Focus Recordings, 2014), which features commissioned works written for him on that theme by 10 American composers, and Impressions (Blue Griffin Records, 2016), a collection of 21st century American piano music. His newest release, Shift (Panoramic Recordings, 2019), features world premiere recordings of works by eight living women composers.

I try to engage students in thinking about how music and the piano fit into their lives and society as a whole, because this approach will help them enormously when their time with me is through. I believe that helping a student discover how he or she can contribute to the field of music, and the world at large, is one of the most important contributions we can make as teachers.