Guitar Faculty

Nicola is an educator and musician.  A community-oriented mindset and interest in language, culture and histories (plural!) led to extended periods of musical activity abroad.

Studying first under prof. Pablo Cohen in Ithaca, NY, Nicola later spent four years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, enriching his perspectives on harmony, counterpoint and regional styles with private teachers, as well as research methodologies at the university UniRio with prof. Silvio Merhy.

A masters at the Niccolo’ Paganini conservatory in Genova brought him back to his native Italy. Earning top marks defending performance research and a recital featuring guitar music of Toru Takemitsu, he was awarded an Erasmus teaching scholarship and sent to teach at the LUCA School of Arts in Leuven, Belgium. There, he refined his approach under the mentorship of prof. Raphaella Smits. Most recently, Nicola was active as a teacher for conservatory preparatory programs in Trieste, Italy.

In the lesson room, Nicola strives to elevate all his pupils, drawing on characteristic patience, rigor, and —some may even say, a dash of sprezzatura.