Schwartz Nieck Santangelo

Biography:

Nieck Santangelo Schwartz, double bassist in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, is a first prize winner of multiple international competitions, including being the youngest winner ever of the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition and commission prize. He was also the first double bassist to win (in an unanimous vote) the Stulberg International String Competition and its Bach Festival Society Award in its 43 year history.Nicholas joined the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2013 and formerly played with the Berlin Philharmonic as a member of the Karajan Akademie, and in the USA with the Boston Symphony and Pops orchestras. In addition to being a long time member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, he was guest artist at multiple international chamber music festivals. He is a guest professor of double bass at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.
 
Nicholas performs on a regular basis with top artists such as Daniel Rowland, Eldbjørg Hemsing, Anna Fedorova, Olivier Patey, and Benedict Kloeckner. In addition to being a world class bassist, Nicholas is also an active cellist. He is the only performer who plays at an artistic level on both instruments and often performs on both the double bass and cello in the same programs. With world renowned concert pianist, Anna Fedorova he has formed the “Oyster Duo”, performing across Europe, Ukraine and the US.
 
In other musical genres, Nicholas feels equally at home. As a jazz bassist he won his first international competition at Carnegie Hall at the age of 15 with the “Midday Jazz Quartet”, receiving the Grand Prize in the Chamber Music Foundation of New England International Chamber Music Competition. He shared the stage with distinguished artists such as Mark O'Connor and Russell Malone and Clark Terry.
 
Originally from Brookline, Massachusetts (USA) Nicholas resides in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In his youth, Nicholas was a competitive skateboarder, having been twice the 15 and under champion of Boston. He then completed an undergraduate degree at Boston University, where he received the Zulalian Foundation Award. His teachers include Edwin Barker (Boston Symphony principal double bassist) and Matthew McDonald (solo bassist of the Berlin Philharmonic) at the Karajan Academy in 2012-13. 
 
Nicholas plays double basses by Gaetano Antoniazzi (1872, Milan) and Bernhard Simon Fendt II (London, 1840) on loan from the Foundation Concertgebouworkest and a cello by Johannes Theodores Cuypers (1788, The Hague) on loan from the Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds. He is a sponsored artist of Pirastro strings. 

  course dates:  5 - 11 Agosto 2024

course description: 

Participation fee € 300