Finding his Voice

Initially declaring himself as a piano major, Nick attended Eastern Florida State college for his associate’s degree, starting in January of 2018. Given the choice between playing percussion in the band with the occasional piano part, or singing with the choir and sharing with the choir’s accompanist, Nick opted for the latter after connecting with the magnetic character of the school’s director of choral activities, Dr. Robert Lamb. During his time studying piano with Sally Cook, Nick also began taking secondary voice lessons with Mark Baker. Enjoying his voice lessons immensely and discovering a particular disposition that simply wasn’t as strong in with the piano, Nick switched from piano to voice as his primary instrument his second semester at EFSC, while maintaining secondary piano lessons, and eventually even teaching some young students at a local store. While at EFSC, Nick also took conducting lessons with Dr. Lamb and was honored with numerous student conducting opportunities. He also began his compositional journey under the Tutelage of Dr. ChanJi Kim, premiering his first piece “Mystic Waters,” a piano and horn duet. Nick sang with the school’s first extra-curricular a cappella group, and served as president of the local collegiate chapter of the Florida Music Educators Association. Nick graduated from EFSC with his Associate of Arts degree in May of 2021.

A Choral Calling

During his time at EFSC, Nick picked up his first job in the music industry, as the choir director at The Open Door United Methodist Church in Cocoa, Florida. With this “small but mighty” group of 16 singers, and in the beautiful acoustic space of the historic sanctuary, Nick found his deep love for sacred harmony. He soon realized that in a world where so many people are hurting because of those rallied together against a common enemy, there’s nothing more beautiful than a group of people united towards a common goal, to create something beautiful, that will bring even more people together. For his first major choral event, Nick partnered his choir together with two other local choirs, put together an orchestra from multiple different organizations throughout the community, and hosted the largest and most well-attended Christmas cantata that the church had seen in decades. The church closed the following summer, and it is one of Nick’s greatest honors to have filled the final season of the life of that church with vibrancy and celebration.

The congregation of the Open Door merged with its daughter church in Merritt Island, Grace United Methodist Church in 2019, and Nick was tasked with directing a 50-voice chancel choir. Expanding on the lasting legacy of long-time choir director Frances Brush, Nick continued his pattern of uplifting service music and vibrant community events. Through the pandemic, he organized over 30 virtual choir videos, including a hybrid Christmas musical with live orchestra and featuring some of his own arrangements. Coming out of the pandemic, Nick premiered new ensembles in addition to the chancel choir, including the Grace UMC Chamber Choir, Women’s Choir, Men’s Choir, and Children’s Choir. In 2022, the church began hosting a choir workshop not only for its own choirs but for local church choirs and directors from throughout the community as well. Now, Nick enjoys partnering with his colleague and friend at the church, director of music ministry Tom Black, to honor the traditions of sacred choral music while bridging the gaps into other genres through innovative collaboration with the church’s other music ministries.

Growing in Passion, Purpose, and Performance

Nick attended the University of Central Florida from 2021 till 2024 to finish his undergraduate studies. As a voice major, he studied in the studio of Thomas Potter, who also directed the school’s opera program. Nick flourished under his direction, and that of collaborative artist and coach Robin Jensen. He sang prominent roles in different opera scenes programs and full opera productions, including Sarastro in Mozarts The Magic Flute, Horace Tabor in Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe, Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen, and Count Almaviva in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. In his solo recitals, Nick performed prominent baritone repertoire such as Schubert’s “Erlkönig,” Mahler’s “Liebst du um Schönheit,” “O du mein holder Abendstern” from Wagner’s Tanhäuser, and “Largo al factotum,” from Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

At UCF, Nick also sang with the UCF University Singers and Chamber Choir, both directed by Grammy award-winning Dr. Jeffery Redding. The UCF Singing Knights provided many meaningful performance opportunities, including opening the magnificent new Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips center. In the first year of its existence, Nick was able to participate in major works with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, solo opportunities with Central Florida Community Arts, and numerous events throughout the UCF Celebrates the Arts festival. Outside rehearsals, Nick studied closely with Dr. Redding, taking both beginning and advanced conducting classes with him, as well as pursuing private coaching sessions and student conducting opportunities. In all things, Dr. Redding instilled in Nick and all his students the importance of “passion and purpose,” the need to put “people first, and music second,” and to “sing to inspire - not to impress.”

Music for a Cause

In Spring of 2023, Nick took a daring next step in his community-driven musical efforts. Operating through his church job, he founded the Brevard Sacred Choral Festival concert series, with their first “Easter Masterworks” concert benefiting Matthew’s Hope. Matthew’s Hope is an organization dedicated to helping the homeless community, and in what Nick considers to be an incredible twist of fate, they set up shop at the historic property previously owned by the Open Door United Methodist Church! Nick’s first meeting with CEO Scott Billue was an incredible moment of synergy. After agreeing to hosting the concert with donations accepted for the benefit of Matthew’s Hope, Billue gave Nick a tour of the facilities. The property that once housed the failing church with nothing to offer the growing homeless community in the area now houses medical and dental offices, a barbershop/hair salon, a massive food pantry, clothing closet, and country store, childcare, public showers, a woodworking shop, and a massive network of outreach services. Nick is particularly proud to know that his old office now serves as a mental health counseling office. Nick has organized three extremely successful benefit concerts for Matthew’s Hope and looks forward to many more in the future. Learn more about Matthew’s Hope here.

One product of Nick’s time at UCF was his love for spirituals and gospel music, fueled by his participation in the city of Orlando’s annual MLK commission concert. He enjoys bringing the repertoire to his own choirs to educate and honor its meaningful and inspiring origins, and to further bless the community. In the Summer of 2023, inspired by the themes of social justice, Nick organized the first Grace UMC Gospel Singalong, benefiting BRIGHT justice ministry of Brevard. “BRIGHT is a direct action organization made up of justice ministries that work together to address the root cause of community problems by using the power of organized people to hold public leaders accountable for fair and just policy.” Nick is proud to say that Grace UMC remains an active supporter of BRIGHT. Learn more about BRIGHT here.

Most recently, Nick was extremely humbled and honored to dedicate Grace UMC’s 2025 Easter cantata to You Matter, Do It For Hunter Suicide Awareness and Prevention. Along with “In This Very Room” by Ron and Carol Harris and “I Believe” by Mark A. Miller, the program’s headline was Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives, immediately preceded by Jake Runestad’s “A Silence Haunts Me.” The text of Runestad’s piece is a poetic translation by Todd Boss of Beethoven’s famous “Heilegenstadt Testament,” a letter to his brother that he never sent. It is thought to have originally been intended as his suicide note, but by the end of it, he resolves to continue to touch his flame of music to the world. Immediately after completing the letter, Beethoven writes his one and only oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives, and the parallels between Jesus’ turmoil in the garden and Beethoven’s own struggle in response to his impending deafness set the perfect tone and message for the event. It was Nick’s first oratorio and most ambitious undertaking to date, but each step of the way was marked with incredible moments of synergy, support, and spiritual guidance. Nick is incredibly grateful for all of the collaboration that made this event the incredible success it was. Learn more about You Matter here.

More

In addition to his church work and the other ensembles he directs, Nick remains an active participant in ensembles and arts organizations throughout central Florida. With Dr. Robert Lamb, Nick has sung with the Brevard Community Chorus on multiple occasions and as a soloist in their 2023 performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Nick sings regular with Dr. Jeffery Redding’s Orlando Choral Society, which has offered him incredible opportunities to sing such incredible works as Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem, continue amazing ongoing events like Disney’s Candlelight Processional and the city of Orlando’s MLK commission concert, and such iconic venues as Steinmetz Hall, Carnegie Hall, and even the Vatican. Nick is also a regular chorister for Opera Orlando, and has performed in their productions of Puccini’s Tosca, Verdi’s Macbeth, and Massinet’s Cendrillon, as well as other productions such as Andrea Bocelli’s world tour, The Lord of the Rings in concert, and Verdi’s Defiant Requiem. Most recently, Nick has begun fulfilling a lifelong dream of conducting musical theater at the Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse, debuting with Mark Shaiman’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and continuing with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Nick is incredibly grateful for every opportunity offered him, and looks forward to more chances to learn and to use his passion and gifts to serve the many communities which have touched and supported him all his life.

“In a world where so many people are hurting because of those rallied together against a common enemy, there’s nothing more beautiful than a group of people united towards a common goal, to create something beautiful, that will bring even more people together.”