Nick Curry

• Curriculum Vitae
• Statement of Research
• Statement of Teaching
• Statement of Service
• Selected Music
• The Lawson Ensemble

James Nixon Curry

Download Nick’s CV

Education

• 2006 Doctor of Music in Cello Performance Northwestern University — Evanston, Illinois Studied with Hans Jorgen Jensen, chamber music with Pacifica Quartet
  Dissertation: Body Music: An Examination of the Physical and Mental Similarities of Sports Performance and String Music Performance
• 1999 Master of Music in Cello Performance Northwestern University — Evanston, Illinois Studied with Hans Jorgen Jensen, chamber music with Victor Yampolsky
• 1997 Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance cum laude Vanderbilt University — Nashville, Tennessee Studied with Grace Mihi Bahng, chamber music with John Kochanowski

Employment

Teaching Experience

Courses Taught

• Applied Cello I, II, III, IV
• Cello Class
• String-Piano Sonata Class
• String Chamber Ensemble
• Cello and Bass Pedagogy
• Cello and Bass Repertory
• Senior Recital
• Independent Study
• Enjoyment of Music
• African American Musical Heritage
• Performance Laboratory

Other Teaching Engagements

• 2020 Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music — Cincinnati, OH Artist teacher in residence

Summer Engagements as Faculty Artist

• 2016–present Aria International Summer Music Academy — South Hadley, MA Duties include presenting research in masterclass settings and teaching private lessons. Other faculty members at Aria hail from the most prestigious music schools in the country including Eastman, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Northwestern University, Cincinnati College Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, The Julliard School, Oberlin, The University of Texas at Austin, Mannes, Stony Brook University and Queens.
• 2012–2013 Meadowmount School of Music — Westport, New York Duties included teaching over 40 students, presenting a masterclass, teaching a technique class to the 40-member studio. Meadowmount is one of the most well-respected string camps for string players in the country. Students at the camp won major international competitions winners and many of them had performed as soloists with major orchestras.
• 2009–2013 Tennessee Valley Summer Music Festival — Huntsville, Alabama Responsibilities included presenting two daily masterclasses, providing daily chamber music coachings, performing in a faculty orchestra with top students, and performing chamber music with the faculty string quartet.
• 2009–2012 North Florida Summer Music Camp — Jacksonville, FL

Teaching Accolades

Each year since 2007, earned ratings of exemplary or exceeding expectations (the new term for exemplary) in the three categories of teaching, research, and service.

• June–August 2020Served on the faculty for four weeks at the Cincinnati Young Artist Summer Cello Academy among leading cello teachers in the field (Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, The Julliard School, Colburn Conservatory, University of Southern California, and Eastman)
• July 2020Remote masterclass at Franklin Pond Chamber Music in Atlanta, run by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra musicians and staff
• June 2020Awarded a TLO Remote Instruction Grant
• May 2020*Invited guest clinician for Cellobration in Orlando (75–100 cellists participating)
• April 2020Cello students Alejandro Ledesma and Joseph Hamlet were each awarded $2500.00 from the Office of Undergraduate Research for their proposal about the importance and implementation of technology in summer music study
• March 2020*Jacksonville Youth Symphony, guest lecturer
• March 2020Franklin Pond Chamber Music in Atlanta, guest masterclass
• 2019–2020Alabama All-State Orchestra, adjudicator
• October 2019Cincinnati College Conservatory, guest masterclass
• October 2019Miami of Ohio, guest masterclass
• October 2019University of Tennessee, guest masterclass
• April 2019Vanderbilt University, guest masterclass
• January 2019 Jacksonville Youth Symphony, guest lecturer
• 2016–2018Named the Gerson Yessin Professor of the Music School for 2016–2017 and 2017–2018. This professorship enabled the creation of the Jacksonville Cello Workshop.
• March 2018University of Nevada Las Vegas, guest masterclass
• February 2018Osceola High School, guest masterclass
• September 2017Fall Cello Workshop in Covington GA at the Porter Performing Arts Center, guest masterclass
• July 2017Franklin Pond Chamber Music Camp, guest masterclass
• April 2017Cello Fest in Cincinnati run by the cello professor at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, guest performer and clinician
• March 2016Vero Beach High School, guest masterclass
• February 2016Franklin Pond Chamber Music, guest masterclass
• 2014–2016Suzuki cello teacher training certification in books 1–4
• 2014Tennessee Cello Workshop, guest artist, clinician, and performer, alongside faculty from the Cleveland Institute of Music and members of the Chicago Symphony
• 2014Western Kentucky University, guest masterclass
• 2014Western Kentucky University, guest lecturer
• July 2014Franklin Pond Chamber Music Camp, guest masterclass
• July 2013Meadowmount School of Music, guest faculty and masterclasses. Meadowmount is the premiere camp for strings in the country and counts Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, and Pinchas Zucherman among its alumni.
• 2012Recipient of the Florida American String Teacher Association’s 2012 Collegiate Leadership Award

*Cancelled due to coronavirus

Applied Cello Lessons

Under my tutelage, eight different students have been awarded Outstanding Musician awards since 2007. Six UNF cello students have won the UNF Concerto Competition and performed as soloists with the UNF Orchestra. Four UNF cello students have served as Board of Trustee members for Beaches Fine Arts series, where they attend and participate in regular meetings.

Six students have attended the Meadowmount School of Music, one of the elite string summer music institutions in the country, with three students on full tuition scholarships. UNF cello students have been accepted to prestigious graduate schools such as the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory, Hartt Conservatory, DePaul University, the University of Tennessee, Oklahoma State University, Florida State University, the University of Miami, and others.

• 2020  Hannah Shute named outstanding senior musician in the UNF School of Music
•  Franklin Sandoval named outstanding junior musician in the UNF School of Music
•  Diego Salinas named outstanding sophomore scholar in the UNF School of Music
•  Paul Lee was accepted to the Hartt Conservatory on a large scholarship
•  Franklin Sandoval awarded a full tuition scholarship to attend the Meadowmount School of Music
•  UNF cello students Hannah Shute, Franklin Sandoval, and pre-college student Noah Hays were admitted to the Cleveland Institute of Music Cello Intensive week. Only 16 cellists were chosen from nearly 50 auditionees.
•  Franklin Sandoval and Hannah Shute were two of 15 college cellists admitted to a Cincinnati Young Artists cello intensive week with Hans Jorgen Jensen (Northwestern University) and Richard Aaron (Julliard and Michigan)
•  Franklin Sandoval, Hannah Shute, Garrett Anderson, Alejandro Ledesma, and Joseph Hamlet were admitted to sessions of the Cincinnati Young Artists Virtual Cello Seminars where they studied with professors from leading institutions for music study including the Cleveland Institute of Music, The Julliard School, Eastman, the University of Southern California, and the Colburn Conservatory of Music
•  Franklin Sandoval won the UNF concerto competition
•  Hannah Shute attended the Sitka Cello Seminar. Shute was one of ten cellists selected with the other cellists coming from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Indiana University, Peabody Conservatory, Royal College of Music in London, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
• 2019 Franklin Sandoval attended the Meadowmount School of Music on a full tuition scholarship
•  Pre-college cello student Noah Hays named principal cello of the Jacksonville Youth Symphony orchestra
•  Franklin Sandoval was a finalist for the Northwest Florida Concerto Competition
•  Hannah Shute attended the Sitka Cello Seminar
•  Hannah Shute and Garrett Anderson were both admitted to and attended the Brancaleoni festival in Italy
•  Claudia Beshears received a full tuition scholarship to attend Oklahoma State University for her master’s degree where she also won a fellowship to play in the Tulsa Symphony
•  Alex Downs named Outstanding Senior Musician
•  Franklin Sandoval named Outstanding Sophomore Musician
•  Hannah Shute won the prestigious Theodore Presser award in 2019, comprised of an award of $4,000.00
•  Noah Hays won the Jacksonville Youth Symphony Concerto Competition, performing Shostakovich Cello Concerto as a soloist with the Jacksonville Symphony on one of their subscription concerts
•  Noah Hays selected as a soloist with the Jacksonville Youth Symphony Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations
•  Noah Hays won a scholarship from the Ashley Foundation
•  Noah Hays won a $30,000 French cello on loan with the Virtu Foundation. Other students with instruments on loan from the organization attend schools like The Julliard School, Eastman, Vanderbilt University, Interlochen, the Glenn Gould School, the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and Stony Brook University
•  Junior Hannah Shute was featured on First Coast News and Channel 4 for getting into the 2019 Sitka International Cello Seminar as one of ten cellists in the world to be selected
•  Cello student Hannah Shute was awarded a $3,000.00 TLO and a $500.00 TLO for her 2019 summer studies
•  Freshman Franklin Sandoval won the UNF concerto competition and performed the Elgar Cello Concerto. Franklin had not had regular cello lessons prior to attending UNF.
• 2018 Alex Downs named Outstanding Junior Musician
•  Franklin Sandoval named Outstanding Freshman Musician
•  Hannah Shute named Outstanding Sophomore Music Scholar
•  Alex Downs was admitted to the Meadowmount School of Music on a full tuition scholarship. Meadowmount is considered by most to be one the best music festivals for cello players in the country. Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman attended this camp as young students.
•  Alex Downs received $600.00 from the Office of Undergraduate Studies to attend the Meadowmount School of Music
• 2017 Claudia Beshears won the Dean’s Leadership Council Award
•  Pre-college student Nathan Ealum won the Douglas Anderson Concerto Competition and was a soloist with their orchestra
•  Alex Downs and Claudia Beshears both received TLO awards in 2017 in the amount of $1500.00 each
•  UNF Cello students performed the six solo cello suites of J.S Bach
•  Noah Hays won the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) district concerto competition
•  Lisa Coyne and Erick Velasquez earned K–12 teaching jobs after graduating in the spring of 2018. Lisa is the Orchestra Director at University High School and Erick is the Orchestra Director at Janitell Junior High School in Colorado.
•  Paul Lee won the UNF Concerto Competition and performed the Saint Saens Cello Concerto.
•  Alex Downs named Outstanding Sophomore Musician
•  Alex Downs was one of ten cellists admitted to the SITKA International Cello Seminar
• 2016 Alex Downs premiered new works by Gary Smart on the Cummer Family Chamber Music Series
•  Pre-college student Nathan Ealum won the Douglas Anderson Concerto Competition
•  Pre-college student Drew Guthrie won the Douglas Anderson Concerto Competition
•  Cello student Claudia Beshears attended a summer study abroad program, performing and receiving lessons in Taiwan
•  Freshman cello student Alex Downs named most Outstanding Freshman Musician
•  Alex Downs won the UNF Concerto Competition
• 2015 Hannah Hoffman was featured in an article in the UNF Foundation Inc. magazine for being selected for the Dean’s Leadership Council award, for attending the Great Wall International Festival in Beijing China, and for attending the Sitka International Cello Seminar in Alaska
•  Hannah Hoffman received a SAILS Scholarship
•  Bery Filsaime received a full scholarship and stipend to do his Master’s degree at the University of Tennessee Knoxville
•  Pre-college student Claudia Beshears attended Wintergreen Music Festival on a full tuition scholarship in the summers of 2014 and 2015
• 2014 Andre Washington co-presented research at the Florida Music ducators” State Conference
•  Hannah Hoffman won the UNF Concerto Competition
•  Hannah Hoffmann named Outstanding Junior Musician
•  Andre Washington was awarded a full tuition to study at the Meadowmount School of Music
•  Hannah Hoffman and Andre Washington were featured in an Arbus article discussing their participation at the Meadowmount School of Music
•  UNF student string quartet performed at the regional American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) conference
•  Andre Washington was admitted to the Hartt School of Music, the University of Tennessee, and the Cincinnati College Conservatory for graduate studies. He received a full tuition scholarship to attend the University of Manitoba for post-baccalaureate studies.
•  Andre Washington won the UNF Concerto Competition and was a soloist at the national American Choral Directors Association conference
•  Hannah Hoffman and Bery Filsaime were two of the three winners of the Dean Leadership Council scholarships in the 2014–2015 school year
• 2012 Hannah Hoffman named Outstanding Freshman Musician
• 2011 Hannah Hoffman was named the Florida American String Teachers Association Young Artist of the Year

Guest Artist Masterclasses

Created and facilitated masterclasses for UNF and community string students with highly acclaimed artists Hans Jorgen Jensen, Richard Aaron, David Finckel, Joshua Roman, Alisa Weilerstein, Johannes Moser, Colin Carr, Antonio Meneses, Andres Diaz, Matt Haimovitz, Melissa Kraut, the Tokyo String Quartet, the Dover Quartet, the Montrose Trio, Project Trio, Mihai Tetel, Alan Rafferty, and Lynn Harrell. Eight of these artists are world renowned concert soloists performing concerti with the world’s leading orchestras. Hans Jensen and Lynn Harrell have both been named American String Teachers Association Artist Teachers of the Year, the highest teaching honor one can receive in the United States. The Tokyo String Quartet was one of the finest string quartets in existence over the last 50 years.

• April 2020*Rastrelli Cello Quartet
• March 2020Infusion Baroque ensemble for the UNF string students
• March 2020Tom Landschoot, Arizona State University
• February 2020Hal Grossman, University of Oregon
• February 2020Alan Rafferty, Cincinnati College-Conservatory
• January 2020Mihai Tetel, the Hartt School of Music
• October 2019Dover String Quartet, through Beaches Fine Arts Series
• April 2019Matt Haimovitz, McGill University, world-renowned cello soloist
• March 2019Scharoun Ensemble of the Berlin Philharmonic, through Beaches Fine Arts Series
• March 2019In coordination with the Jacksonville Symphony, arranged a masterclass for UNF cellists with world renowned cello soloist Alisa Weilerstein
• February 2019 Richard Aaron, The Julliard School and the University of Michigan
• January 2019Melissa Kraut, Cleveland Institute of Music
• January 2019 Mihai Tetel, the Hartt School of Music
• December 2018Concert and masterclass by Colin Carr, Stony Brook University, world-renowned soloist
• December 2018Minna Rose Chung, University of Manitoba
• November 2018Meredith Blecha Wells, Oklahoma State University
• October 2018Rushad Eggleston, innovative performing cellist
• February 2018Hans Jorgen Jensen, Northwestern University
• February 2018David Finckel, The Julliard School and former cellist for the Emerson String Quartet, and Wu Han, world renowned pianist
• November 2017The Vienna Piano Trio, through Beaches Fine Arts Series
• November 2017David Starkweather, University of Georgia
• April 2017Scott Kluksdahl, University of South Florida
• January 2017Mihai Tetel, the Hartt School of Music
• January 2017Joshua Roman, world renowned soloist
• January 2017Project Trio, well known chamber ensemble from Brooklyn
• March 2016Mike Block, faculty member at Berklee School of Music and part of the Silk Road Project
• January 2016Calidore String Quartet
• January 2016Mihai Tetel, Hartt Conservatory
• November 2015Montrose Trio, faculty members from Colburn Conservatory and Rice University
• October 2015Dr. Andrew Smith, University of Nevada Las Vegas
• October 2015Dr. Wesley Baldwin, the University of Tennessee
• April 2015Johannes Moser, world-renowned soloist
• December 2014Alan Rafferty, Cincinnati College Conservatory
• December 2014Melissa Kraut, Cleveland Institute of Music
• December 2014Hired world-renowned pedagogue and cello professor at the Cleveland Institute of Music Dr. Melissa Kraut to teach two Suzuki courses at UNF. The first class was a one-day class called Every Child Can. The second class was a seven-day class where Dr. Kraut trained four of my UNF students and me on how to teach book 1 of the Suzuki method, the most popular method for teaching young and beginning students.
• March 2014Sybarite 5, chamber group through Riverside Fine Arts Series
• February 2014Grace Bahng Gavin, formerly of Vanderbilt University
• January 2014Mihai Tetel, Hartt Conservatory
• November 2013David Finckel and Wu Han
• November 2013Grace Bahng Gavin, former professor at Vanderbilt University and former cellist in the Blair String Quartet
• November 2013Dr. Minna Chung, Cello Professor at University of Manitoba

*Cancelled due to coronavirus

Cello Class

This weekly two-hour class is a supplement to the Applied Lesson Syllabus created to give the students further in-depth instruction.

Cello Choir

A class to provide a chamber music experience for all cellists. Taught by former Juilliard graduate and Vanderbilt cello professor Grace Bahng Gavin.

Sonata Class

A class created along with Dr. Erin Bennett in which string and piano students collaborate on sonatas together and receive coachings by UNF faculty.

Cello/Suzuki Pedagogy

Cello pedagogy has been reconceived as Suzuki pedagogy to provide students with in-demand certification and teaching skills.

Worked with Dr. Randy Tinnin, the COAS Dean’s office, and the music office to hire renowned Suzuki trainer Avi Friedlander, Director of the Music Institute of Chicago, to train UNF students to teach the Suzuki method, the gold standard of teaching.

The course cycles over a two-year period with possibility of adding additional advanced courses as the program grows. Students who sign up for the class and complete the work will become registered in Suzuki Books 1–4 which qualifies them to attain employment at Suzuki Institutes around the world.

This training provides our students with a structured method for teaching young students giving them the tools to identify problems and apply solutions. Being registered on the Suzuki website gives our students instant access to employment opportunities and a leg up in their teaching careers.

Finally, the program is a mark of honor for our university and the School of Music. UNF is the first higher education institution in Florida and only the sixth in the country to offer this training. Students can acquire it much more economically within the university compared to travelling to another training location as was formerly necessary. The results are already paying dividends; we have seven students who completed this year. Prior to our program there were only two cellists within 100 miles of Jacksonville with Suzuki credentials. Now there are nine.

Professional Service

• 2020Alabama High School All-State Orchestra Cellos, adjudicator
• 2009–2015,
  2019–presentUniversity Intercollegiate Athletic Committee
• 2018–presentUNF Student Conduct Board
• 2018–presentBeaches Fine Arts Series, Board of Trustee member
• 2015–presentUNF Presser and Student Award Committee, chair
• 2013–2016, 2020Florida All-State Orchestra, Music Selection Committee
• 2012–present UNF School of Music, Scholarship Coordinator Handles the distribution of $100,000.00 of out of state tuition waivers, approximately 20 Foundation scholarship awards, and about $50,000.00 of non-Foundation department awards. In 2017, also began to oversee the jazz scholarships in addition to the classical scholarships.
  Meets monthly with enrollment services admissions, financial aid, and others to advocate for the program’s top music recruits helping top prospects get admitted and funded to the highest level with financial aid, academic merit, and talent awards. This model was created by working with Deborah Kaye and has since been expanded.
  Negotiated and coordinated $15,000.00 per year in awards from Deermeadows Baptist Church for UNF string students to play in their orchestra.
• 2011–present UNF School of Music, Area Coordinator of the String Area Worked with other music area coordinators to create a master’s program, including new classes with a focus on strings. Also helped create a music technology and production degree and certificate.
• 2010–presentUNF School of Music, Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator
• 2019Federation of Music Clubs State Competition, adjudicator
• 2017–2018UNF Undergraduate Research Review Committee
• 2008–2018Regular performer for Project Listen, performing in elementary schools
• 2008–2010,
  2015–2016Florida Community College Symposium, Coordinator
• 2015–2016United Way UNF Committee
• 2015UNF Assistant Professor of Percussion Search Committee
• 2014External Evaluator for Minna Rose Chung, University of Manitoba
• 2013Lake Nona High School, judge for solo and ensemble
• 2013Volusia County, judge for solo and ensemble
• 2007–2009UNF Flagship Committee, member

UNF Fundraising

Coordinated numerous fundraising opportunities for the UNF School of Music. The Lawson Ensemble receives a donation of $15,000.00 annually to fund its concert series. Another donation to the cello and choral fund with a Deloitte match totals an additional $15,000.00 per year. Patricia Copeland donated $10,000.00 to the UNF cello fund. Ramin and Roya Mahmoodi donated $1,500.00 to the Lawson Ensemble fund. Arranged a cello choir concert for Ben Leaderman and Rickie Rubenstein who were then inspired to endow music scholarships, including one for cello.

• 2017–presentCreator, Director and Teacher at the Jacksonville Cello Workshop Created the Jacksonville Cello Workshop when I was named the Gerson Yessin Professor of the Music School in 2016. In the three years the workshop has existed, 60–80 students from Florida, Georgia, Texas, Connecticut, Illinois, and Alabama have attended. The workshop brings in master teachers from around the United States specializing in teaching the highest level of international competition winners all the way down to beginners. This is an incredible opportunity for cellists of all ages to receive high level instruction from leaders in the field. This opportunity is unique in the state of Florida and makes UNF a cello attraction for two days each spring, further enhancing UNF as the cello destination of the southeast.

International Performances

• summer 2019Concert tour of Germany with the Lawson Ensemble and the San Marco Chamber Music Society
• June 2019Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, Germany
• June 2019Parish Church in Juhnsdorg, Germany
• June 2019St. Nikolai in Juterbog, Germany
• June 2019Christuskirche in Hamburg, Germany
• June 2019Blankeneser Kirche Am Markt in Hamburg, Germany
• June 2019Laeizhalle Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany
• May 2018Masterclass at the Latvian Music Academy, Riga, Latvia
• June 2016Lawson Ensemble (UNF resident chamber ensemble) tour of England with San Marco Chamber Music Society
• June 2016St. John the Evangelist, Oxford, England
• June 2016St. Mary Church, Oxfordshire, England
• June 2016Coffee Concert at Holywell Music Room (where Franz Joseph Haydn once performed), Oxford, England
• June 2016Concert at the Adderbury Festival, Oxfordshire, England
• April–May 2012Soloist on Daniel Bernard Roumain’s I Need You, premiering the work in Port Elizabeth, George, Paarl, and Capetown, South Africa with the UNF Chamber Singers
• July 2011Recital in Feldkirchen, Austria at the Musikacademie of Feldkirchen for some of the region’s most gifted teachers and students
• July 2011Recital in Ljubljana, Slovenia on the prestigious Imago Slovenia festival
• July 2011Solo performance at the Cathedral of Saint-Augustin, Paris, France
• July 2011Performance at the Chateau de Pussigny, Pussigny, France
• June 2011Performance in Istanbul, Turkey at the English Chaplaincy to raise funds to restore the church’s organ which was damaged in terrorist bombings
• June 2011Concert in Barcelona, Spain presented by the Associacio Musical de Mestres Directors, Centre San Pere Apostal
• December 2004,
  May 2006International performance tour of Taiwan with Rawlins Piano Trio.
  Kaohsiung Cultural Center, Taipei, Kenting, I-Shou University, SooChow University, Taiwan University School of the Arts, Taipei Municipal University of Education, and Normal University, as well as in the cities of Feng Shin and ShiShin.

Select U.S. Performances, 2013–present

• May 2020*Florida Theatre Gala concert
• May 2020*Romanza Fest concert in Saint Augustine with Lawson Ensemble
• April 2020*Lawson Ensemble concert, UNF
• April 2020*Lawson Ensemble concert, Fleet Landing
• March 2020Lawson Ensemble concert for the donors of the Coastal Symphony of Georgia in Brunswick, Georgia.
• February 2020Jacksonville Cello Workshop, masterclass and faculty
• February 2020Lawson Ensemble Performance, Thiokol Memorial service event in Kingsland, Georgia
• February 2020Lawson Ensemble concert, Friday Musicale (this concert series generally features well known performers from outside of Florida. Past performances have included some of the great musicians in the last 100 years such as Fritz Kreisler, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Ernest Von Dohnanyi)
• February 2020Lawson Ensemble concert, All Saints Episcopal Church
• February 2020Lawson Ensemble concert, UNF
• January 2020Lawson Ensemble Concert, Fleet Landing
• January 2020Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• January 2020Collaborative performance with San Marco Chamber Music Society and the Lawson Ensemble
• December 2019Performance with Il Divo at Florida Theatre
• November 2019Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• November 2019Lawson Ensemble performance, Fleet Landing
• November 2019Lawson Ensemble Concert, Palms Presbyterian
• November 2019Lawson Ensemble Concert, Ponte Vedra Library
• November 2019Lawson Ensemble Concert with the UNF Chamber Singers
• September 2019Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• September 2019Lawson Ensemble concert on Friends of Music Series in Live Oak, FL
• September 2019Lawson Ensemble House Concert
• May 2019San Marco Chamber Music Society collaborative performance with Lawson Ensemble
• May 2019San Marco Chamber Music Society with Lawson Ensemble, Fleet Landing
• May 2019San Marco Chamber Music Society with Lawson Ensemble, Vicars Landing
• May 2019San Marco Chamber Music Society with Lawson Ensemble, Palms Presbyterian
• May 2019San Marco Chamber Music Society and Lawson Ensemble
• May 2019San Marco Chamber Music Society and Lawson Ensemble at Vicars Landing
• May 2019San Marco Chamber Music Society and Lawson Ensemble at Fleet Landing
• April 2019Monteverdi Vespers with UNF Chamber Singers and Lawson Ensemble
• April 2019Performed with Stetson University professors in Maitland, FL
• April 2019Lawson Ensemble, Penney Farms
• March 2019Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• February 2019San Marco Chamber Music Society
• January 2019San Marco Chamber Music Society and Lawson Ensemble, Friday Musicale
• January 2019Lawson Ensemble Concert, Fleet Landing
• January 2019Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• December 2018Performance with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• November 2018Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• November 2018Sunrise Mass with Lawson Ensemble, Christ Church Episcopal of Ponte Vedra
• November 2018Lawson Ensemble Concert in Brunswick, GA
• October 2018San Marco Chamber Music Society with Lawson Ensemble
• September 2018Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• June 2018San Marco Chamber Music Society and Lawson Ensemble
• June 2018San Marco Chamber Music Society and Lawson Ensemble, Fleet Landing
• June 2018Saint Augustine Music Festival for two weeks in June 2018 at the Cathedral Basilica including a chamber music concert with violinist Nigel Armstrong and also a performance by Lawson Ensemble
• May 2018Lawson Ensemble, Romanza Fest in Saint Augustine
• May 2018San Marco Chamber Music Society Concert
• May 2018San Marco Chamber Music Society, Fleet Landing
• May 2018San Marco Chamber Music Society and Lawson Ensemble
• April 2018Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• April 2018Lawson Ensemble, Live Oak on Friends of Music series
• Feb–March 2018Invited cellist with the Ritz Chamber Players and Lawson Ensemble, Hendricks Avenue Baptist and Beaches Chapel
• January 2018Lawson Ensemble Concert, Fleet Landing
• January 2018ELO (Electric Light Orchestra)
• January 2018Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• December 2017Lawson Ensemble performances with UNF Chamber Singers at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall and also at Saint Marks of Ortega
• December 2017Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• November 2017Josh Groban in Disney Springs, one of two cellists playing
• October 2017Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• June 2017San Marco Chamber Music Society, Fleet Landing
• September 2017Lawson Ensemble Concert, UNF
• September 2017San Marco Chamber Music Society, Dowling Park
• September 2017San Marco Chamber Music Society
• June 2017San Marco Chamber Music Society
• June 2017San Marco Chamber Music Society, Prelude Music Camp
• May 2017Invited cellist with the Ritz Chamber Players at the Cummer Museum. This series of three concerts was played with Ann Hobson Pilot, principal harp for the Boston Symphony for 40 years and recipient of the Gold Baton, joining past recipients Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Isaac Stern; Kelly Hall Tompkins, former Naumberg prize winner, collaborator with Mark O’Conner, and featured violinist in Fiddler on the Roof in NYC for over a year; and Alison Buchanan, a well-known opera singer.
• May 2017Ritz Chamber Players, Hendricks Ave. Baptist
• May 2017Ritz Chamber Players, National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY
• May 2017Lawson Ensemble, Jacksonville fashion show
• May 2017San Marco Chamber Music Society
• May 2017Lawson Ensemble, Saint Augustine Romanza Fest
• April 2017Solo cello performance of Rutter Requiem, Ponte Vedra Beach
• April 2017Lawson Ensemble Concert with Steve Merrill and Andrea Venet, UNF
• April 2017Lawson Ensemble, Canterbury Court in Atlanta, GA
• April 2017Lawson Ensemble, Fleet Landing
• April 2017Lawson Ensemble, Gerson Yessin series at Ponte Vedra Library
• March 2017Lawson Ensemble, Wesley United Methodist in Saint Simons
• February 2017Jacksonville Cello Workshop, masterclass and faculty
• January 2017Invited performer for President Barack Obama and Senator John Kerry at a private residence in Jacksonville
• December 2016Lawson Ensemble, Lakewood Presbyterian
• December 2016Invited Lawson Ensemble performance, Saint Simons, GA
• November 2016Lawson Ensemble and Eric and Ellen Olson, UNF
• November 2016Lawson Ensemble, Live Oak Friends of Music Series
• November 2016Lawson Ensemble with San Marco Chamber Music Society
• October 2016Lawson Ensemble and Erin Bennett, UNF
• September 2016San Marco Chamber Music Society
• June 2016San Marco Chamber Music Society, Fleet Landing
• June 2016San Marco Chamber Music Society, Cathedral Basillica in Saint Augustine
• June 2016San Marco Chamber Music Society
• April 2016Performance with the Lawson Ensemble and Dr. Sonja Harasim, UNF
• April 2016Performance with the UNF Chamber Singers, UNF chorale and the Lawson Ensemble at Church of the Good Shepard
• March 2016Performance with Il Volo, Florida Theatre
• March 2016San Marco Chamber Music Society
• February 2016San Marco Chamber Music Society on River City Live television show
• February 2016Lawson Ensemble with Orlando Philharmonic concertmaster Rimma Bergeron Langlois at UNF
• November 2015Lawson Ensemble performance of Mozart Requiem in Ponte Vedra
• November 2015Lawson Ensemble with certificate student Yukino Miyake, UNF
• September 2015Lawson Ensemble, UNF School of Music Department Showcase
• September 2015Lawson Ensemble, Friends of Music Series in Live Oak, FL
• September 2015Lawson Ensemble at UNF
• September 2015Lawson Ensemble in Mandarin
• August 2015Performed with Orlando Philharmonic principal players on the Sound of Summer concert series at the Plaza Stage Live and at the Villages
• June 2015Invited as one of three cellists in the Saint Augustine Music Festival
• December 2014Handel’s Messiah, continuo
• November 2014Florida Chamber Music Project
• November 2014Mozart Requiem performance
• November 2014Reconnect Concert soloist, UNF
• October 2014Florida Chamber Music Project Concert. This group performs five different programs per year at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. The primary purpose of the Florida Chamber Music Project is to foster and encourage the presentation of classical chamber music; to present and sponsor presentation of classical chamber music by highly qualified professional musicians; to increase awareness of classical chamber music in the State of Florida in general and in North Florida in particular; and to provide educational institutions with opportunities to educate students of all kinds concerning the nature and value of classical chamber music and its performance.
• June 2014Florida Chamber Music Project Concert
• June 2014Florida Chamber Music Project Concert
• May 2014Florida Chamber Music Project Concert
• May 2014Live television performance for the Great Wedding Giveaway
• May 2014Florida Chamber Music Project Concert
• April & May 2014Two performances on Channel 4
• April 2014Florida Chamber Music Project concert, Ponte Vedra Inn and Club
• April 2014Florida Chamber Music Project concert, Cypress Village
• November 2013Trio Florida, Ponte Vedra Library
• October 2013Trio Florida, EMMA concert series in Saint Augustine
• October 2013Rutter Requiem, cello soloist
• October 2013Trio Florida, UNF
• 2013Performer (only cellist) with the Mississippi State Choral at the Regional American Choral Directors Association
• 2013Nick Curry and Friends Chamber Music Concert raised $1300.00 in scholarship
• June 2013Invited cellist, Saint Augustine Music Festival

*Cancelled due to coronavirus

National Television & Radio Broadcasts

• March 2012Performed on the season finale of Oprah Winfrey’s Lovetown USA, a nationally televised reality show, which aired on OWN TV in fall 2012
• April 2006Performed on the King Amati cello (c. 1538) as a soloist on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion. This performance was broadcast nationwide on NPR and has been rebroadcast repeatedly. The concert was heard by four thousand people live and by millions live on radio. Was the only faculty member selected by Garrison Keillor for this concert.

Conference Presentations

• May 2020*Chosen to present at the Suzuki Association of Americas National Conference in Minneapolis, MN
• March 2020Presented “The Skill, the Will and the Thrill” at the American String Teachers National Conference in Orlando, FL
• July 2019Presented lectures on sound production in Faure Elegie and practicing effectively at the Aria International Summer Music Academy at Mt. Holyoke College, MA
• March 2019Presented “Build from Scratch: A Panel on Successful String Recruiting” at the American String Teachers Association National Conference in Albuquerque, NM
• August 2018Presented lectures on sound production in Bruch’s Kol Nidrei and practicing Saint Saens Cello Concerto at the Aria International Summer Music Academy at Mt. Holyoke College, MA
• December 2018Invited and appeared on Suzuki’s “Parents as Partners” online video series
• May 2018Presented “Rinse and Repeat? Strategies for Mindful Repetition in Practice” at the Suzuki Association of America’s National Conference in Minneapolis, MN
• March 2018Presented “Rinse and Repeat? Strategies for Mindful Repetition in Practice” at the American String Teachers National Conference in Atlanta, GA
• July 2017Presented lectures on sound production in Faure’s Elegie and practicing Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major, 3rd Movement, at the Aria International Summer Music Academy at Mt. Holyoke College, MA
• January 2014Presented “Helpful Practicing Tips for Orchestral Conductors and String Teachers” at the 2014 FMEA state conference. Chosen based on a submission to the FMEA board and co-presented with student Andre Washington
• October 2013Performer at the College Music National Conference. Trio Florida (Simon Shiao, Gary Smart, and Nick Curry) were selected by a jury from numerous applications. The group performed three contemporary works in Boston, MA at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge
• April 2012Featured clinician at “Cellobration” in Orlando. Worked with over sixty pre-college cellists at this event, conducting them in concert, and presented a masterclass.
• March 2012Presented “Recruiting Basics for College Educators” at the American String Teachers National Conference
• February 2012Presented “Practicing Intonation on a String Instrument” at the College Music Society’s regional conference in the spring of 2012 with students Hannah Hoffman and Andre Washington assisting. Chosen after submitting proposal.
• January 2011Presented “Dr. Nick’s Steps to Practicing Intonation on a String Instrument” at the FMEA music conference in Tampa, FL in 2011. Cello students Hannah Hoffman and Andre Washington assisted the presentation. Chosen based on a submission to the FMEA board.
• November 2010Chosen as the featured clinician at “Cellobration” in Boca Raton. Led 80+ cello students in performances and in a masterclass. Past clinicians were professors from the Berklee College of Music, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Michigan and the University of South Carolina, among others. Six of my UNF cello students also attended and participated as assistants and performers.
• January 2009Presenter, “Principles of Sound for String Instruments” at the state music conference in Tampa, FL for nearly 100 string teachers. Assisted by UNF student Brittany Maroney. As a result of this class, an invitation was sent to do the same presentation at many schools around the state including Vero Beach and Timber Creek High Schools and Lavilla School of the Performing Arts, all strong recruiting contacts for our department’s future. Chosen based on submission made to the FMEA board.
• May, June 2008Performed with Gary Smart and Guy Yehuda at both the FSMTA conference in Gainesville and at the College Music Society National Conference in Atlanta
• June 2008Lectured at the FSMTA conference including a UNF cello student demonstration, “Principals of Sound on the Cello.” Simultaneously arranged and prepared a student to play for University of Florida cello professor Stephen Thomas.
• February 2006Presented “Body Music: An Examination of the Physical and Mental Similarities of Sports Performance and String Music Performance,” at the South Dakota Music Educators Association conference

*Cancelled due to coronavirus

Publications

• “Interview with Tokyo String Quartet Cellist Clive Greensmith,” http://stringvisions.ovationpress.com/2014/02/interview-clive-greensmith-part-1/, February 2014.
• “The Physical and Mental Similarities of Sport and String Performance,” Saarbrucken, Germany: Scholars’ Press, 2014.
• “Dr. Nick’s Steps to Practicing Intonation,” American String Teacher, November 2011.
• “Interview with composer Richard Meyer,” American String Teacher, November 2010.
• Body Music: An Examination of the Physical and Mental Similarities of Sports Performance and String Music Performance. Dissertation published by the Oregon Microform Publication in Sport and Human Performance, 2006. Abstract published in Kinesiology Abstracts Vol. 19 No. 2.

Awards

• 2018–2019Eisen Experiential Learning Grant
• 2018Presidential Faculty Leader Award
• 2016–2018Gerson Yessin Professorship

Recordings

• in process Lawson Ensemble CD featuring Bach’s Three-Part Inventions and a Bach Trio Sonata No. 6 in G Major, BWV 530. Albany Records.
• 2018Songs and Dances, San Marco Chamber Music Society with the Lawson Ensemble. Albany Records.
• 2016Bright Eyed Fancy, Gary Smart and Trio Florida. Albany Records.
• 2015Cello soloist, Come by Here, UNF Chamber Singers.
• 2012Service of Darkness, Frank Ralls. CD Baby.
• 2011Journey Around the Sun: A Mayan Odyssey, Bill Wren & Frank Ralls. CD Baby.
• 2011When I Sing, University of North Florida chamber singers.
• 2008A Day in the Life, Bill Wren. CD Baby.