Thomas Nickell, Pianist/Composer, in Solo Recital

The impressive American composer and pianist Thomas Nickell will return to New York City’s Tenri Cultural Institute for a solo piano recital on Friday evening, October 10, 2025, 7:00 p.m. Mr. Nickell's program will include works by Debussy, Franck, Sibelius, Janacek, as well as Mr. Nickell's own composition. The full program follows:

Leos Janacek, Selections from On an Overgrown Path

1. Our Evenings

2. A Blown Away Leaf

3. Come With Us

4. The Madonna of Frydek

Thomas Nickell, Piano Sonata No. 4

Claude Debussy, Images, Book 1

I. Reflets dans l’eau

II. Hommage à Rameau

III. Mouvement

Intermission

Jean Sibelius, Sonatina No. 2 in E Major

I. Lento - Allegro

II. Andantino

III. Lento - Allegretto

César Franck, Prelude, Aria, and Finale

Reviewing Mr. Nickell's concert last season, Jeffrey Williams of the New York Concert Review had this to say: "Mr. Nickell has undoubted talent, and as his talent continues to flourish... I look forward to hearing what the future holds for him." Commenting on Mr. Nickell's performance of Stevenson's Scottish Triptych, Mr. Williams said; "While Mr. Nickell has the requisite technique to deal with the difficulties that abound, it was the slower sections, with his sensitive and poetic playing, that showed his artistry to its fullest extent. This work was the highlight of the evening for this listener."

Inventive young composer-pianist Thomas Nickell, steeped in the classical music tradition with an ear for contemporary soundscapes, has already garnered recognition throughout Europe and the United States for his thoughtful explorations of various musical genres. As a pianist, Mr. Nickell has given many highly lauded public performances of important works by Bach, Beethoven, Berg, Gershwin, Khachaturian, Liszt, David Matthews, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, as well as his own compositions.

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Increasingly devoting his time to composition and to collaborative efforts, Mr. Nickell continues his role as Curator of the “Avant Garden” series as part of the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago under the direction of Music Director Mina Zikri. This season, Mr. Nickell will also see a new collaborative composition, Aftertime (co-composed with Fiona Stocks-Lyons), performed by the Pacific Northwest Ballet in a new production choreographed by Christopher D’Ariano and Amanda Morgan. Over the recent years, he has created Sarabande for solo piano (2023); Leaks for Solo Percussion and Tape (2020); Horizons for 8 Double Basses and Sine Waves (2020); Tribute (after Julius Eastman) for Solo Piano (2020); Untitled for Retuned Digital Keyboard (2020); The Falling Sun for Electronic Sounds (2020); Unstuck in Time for Orchestra (2019-20); Music for Ensemble for at least 4 players (2019-20); String Quartet in No. 2,“Heliopause,” selected for JACK Quartet Readings at Mannes (2019); Spires of Form for Voice and Piano, a work co-composed with American soprano Denise Young which was premiered at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (2019); Piano Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano (2019), Intercalendrical Zone for Piano (2019), and Prelude and Constellated Night for Piano (2019).

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