Nicholas Wilbur, Violin & Viola
Born and raised in Durango, Colorado, violist Nicholas Wilbur holds a Master’s Degree in Viola Performance from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Kenichiro Matsuda. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Viola Performance from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with George Taylor.
Nicholas began playing music at the age of four, originally learning bluegrass fiddling before beginning his studies as a classical violinist with Dr. Kasia Sokol Borup and Dr. Nathan Lambert. He began playing the viola at age twelve, and his teachers include William Foster of the National Symphony Orchestra and Dr. M. Brent Williams.
As an orchestral violist, Nicholas was the youngest member of the San Juan Symphony in two decades, where he played for two seasons before leaving to attend the Eastman School of Music. At Eastman, Nicholas held principal positions in both symphonic and opera orchestras. Nicholas attended both the Summer Music Institute fellowship run by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C., and National Orchestral Institute as a full-scholarship fellow. He has worked with renowned conductors including JoAnn Falletta, David Zinman, James Judd, David Alan Miller, Ward Stare, Mark Gibson, and Neil Varon. Nicholas has also been featured in masterclasses and coachings with artists such as C.J. Chang, Daniel Foster, Joan DerHovsepian, Alan Harris, Federico Agostini, David Ying, Robin Scott, and Nicholas Stovall.
As a member of the Antigone Quartet, Nicholas has shared in winning a finalist position in the Glass City Chamber Music Competition as well as Third Prize in the 2022 CCM Chamber Music Competition (the only string quartet to earn a prize).The Antigone Quartet have toured and concertized in the United States and Europe, and were invited to perform in the Southern Illinois Music Festival (SIFest), Musica Malicorne in Le Mans, France, as well as the CCM Atrium Recital Series at the University of Cincinnati.
Nicholas has nearly a decade of experience as a viola and violin instructor and is passionate about helping his students find their own musical voice and developing the technique to express it. In his time away from the viola, Nicholas is an active composer and arranger for a variety of instruments and ensembles. He is also an amateur chef and non-classical music enthusiast. Nicholas performs on a viola made by Stanley Kiernoziak in 2017.