The Music of Christopher Tyler Nickel

Award winning composer, conductor and producer Christopher Tyler Nickel is unique in today's musical landscape, having made a name for himself as a successful writer of concert music as well as film and television music. Christopher's unique musical voice is the combination of strikingly beautiful melodies, powerful orchestrations, and a careful fusion of different styles of music as well as acoustic and electronic instrumentation. The Province Newspaper called Christopher's music "engaging and compelling, music that deserves a wide audience!" and Screensounds in the UK wrote, "to say that this is beautiful music would be an understatement." A graduate of the University of British Columbia School of Music with a degree in composition, Christopher studied with renowned Canadian composer Stephen Chatman. Upon graduation, he continued his studies in both New York and Los Angeles.

In the world of film and television music, Christopher has worked on productions for clients that include the Sci-Fi Channel, Alliance Atlantis Television, YTV, Lifetime, NBC, the National Film Board of Canada, Teletoon, Cinetel, HGTV, Telefilm Canada, Animal Planet, Vision TV, TLC, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel. His awards include the 2004 Gold Metal for Best Action Score at the Park City Film Music Festival, the 2002 Golden Key International Performing Arts Award for Musical Composition, two 2009 JPF awards for "Best Contemporary Classical Album," as well as "Best Contemporary Classical Song," and four Leo Award nominations in the category of "Best Score: Feature Length Drama." Recently completed scores include Transparency starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Estella Warren, and The Christmas Consultant starring David Hasselhoff and Caroline Rhea.

Christopher is the author of numerous concert works, which have been performed by orchestras and chamber ensembles in Canada, the United States, and Europe. In 2002, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic performed his "Fanfare for Freedom" for an audience of 40,000. This performance was also broadcast live on the U.S. east coast for their July 4th celebrations. Another highlight was the Vancouver Symphony's performance of that same work for an audience of 9,000 at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby. Other ensembles having performed Christopher's works include the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (World premiere of "Christmas Morning"), Champagne-Urbana Symphony (Illinois), Grand Rapids Symphony (Michigan), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, College Light Opera Orchestra (Massachusetts), Vancouver Youth Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Fraser Valley Symphony, North Shore Sinfonia, West Coast Symphony, as well as many other university, youth and semi-professional and professional orchestras and concert bands. Christopher has also had the honor of working with members of the New York Philharmonic. In both 2002 and 2003, Christopher composed music for the very popular "Bard on the Beach" Shakespeare Festival Concerts in Vancouver, working with renowned actor/director Christopher Gaze.


Original Compositions

CELEBRATION

by Christopher Tyler Nickel
Description: A new and exciting composition full of shifting rhythms in contrasting fanfare-like and pastoral passages. This work by award-winning Canadian composer Christopher Tyler Nickel will surely delight both your audiences and musicians.
Instrumentation:2+Picc/2/2/2 - 4/3/3/1 - Timp, 3 perc & Strings
Duration:3:15
Rental Fee:$190/+$95/+$47.50 - ($1st perf/+$2nd perf/+$3rd perf or more each).

CHRISTMAS MORNING

by Christopher Nickel
Description: A beautiful sound portrait of falling snow, the children awaking and running downstairs to open their presents, a brass band playing carols in the distance, the family dinner, and a fanfare-like finale to the spirit of the day.
Instrumentation:2+picc/2+EHn/2+ BCl/2+CBn - 4/3/3/1 - Timpani, 3 percussion, harp, celeste/piano-keyboard, and strings.
Duration:4:45
Rental Fee:$260/+$130/+$65 - ($1st perf/+$2nd perf/+$3rd perf or more each).
Notes: 2011 Premiere cycle included the Atlanta Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony.

FOLLOWING YONDER STAR

by Christopher Nickel
Description: Following the great success of Chris Nickel's "Christmas Morning" introduced in 2011, we now offer this moving musical portrait of the journey to Bethlehem by the 3 Magi: A starry night, appearance of the "star" and the journey across the desert, arrival in Bethlehem, finding the stable, the adoration of the Baby, and then off on the return journey.
Instrumentation:2+picc/2+EHn/2+ BCl/2+CBn - 4/3/3/1 - Timpani, 3 percussion, piano, and strings.
Duration:4:40
Rental Fee:$260/+$130/+$65 - ($1st perf/+$2nd perf/+$3rd perf or more each).
Notes: 2012 Premiere by the Atlanta Symphony

VALOR

by Christopher Tyler Nickel
Description: Valor is particularly suited to Memorial Day, Independence Day, 9/11,and Veterans Day concerts, or any concert with an heroic theme. A dramatic work in the tradition of the best in film music, Valor is written with soaring lines and stirring brass fanfares to inspire pride and patriotism!
Instrumentation:2+picc/2+E Hn/2+B Cl/2+Cbn - 4/3/3/1 - Timp, 2-3 Perc, Harp, and Strings
Duration:4:45
Rental Fee:$240/+$120/+$60 - ($1st perf/+$2nd perf/+$3rd perf or more each).
Notes: World premiere: May 25th, 2014 by the Gulf Coast Symphony, John Strickler, conductor.
Notes: From the conductor: "The orchestra enjoyed the piece, and the audience reaction was immediate and very enthusiastic. Lot's of cheering and whistling."

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