Nick Terry is a dedicated chamber musician specializing in contemporary music. He directs the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, and frequently collaborates with the ensembles PARTCH, Inauthentica, Ensemble Green, and Eighteen Squared, whose collective repertoire features many of the 20th and 21st centuries most exotic and demanding scores.
In 2004-2008, Nick performed in the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra, where he worked closely with Pierre Boulez, Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Eötvös, Sofia Gubaidulina, and members of Ensemble Intercontemporian. During these years, Nick co-founded Ensemble XII, an international assembly of twelve percussion virtuosi which was recently hailed by Pierre Boulez as “representing the next generation in the evolution of modern percussion”. In collaboration with Steven Schick, Ensemble XII recently completed multiple recordings of their unique repertoire, to be released in 2011.
As a guest artist, Nick has performed and recorded with Eighth Blackbird, Argento Ensemble, red fish, blue fish, XTET, the California E.A.R. Unit, and Los Angeles Master Chorale. Recent notable performances include the Klangspuren & Lucerne Festivals, Philharmonie Essen, Disney Hall, Ojai Music Festival, Green Umbrella, Monday Evening Concerts, Jacaranda, Grand Performances, Music & Conversations, and Microfest. He can be heard on recordings from Capstone, New World, Innova, <541>, and Onigawara records.
On drumset, Nick performs with Sharp Three, a jazz-fusion trio featuring Asian soundscapes and Balkan rhythms, and can be found sitting in with local soul and rock musicians at Los Angeles’ famous nightclubs such as the Whisky a Go Go, Viper Room, and Brown Derby. As a student of North Indian, West African, Afro-Cuban, and Arabic percussion, he synthesizes unique rhythmic concepts for his use in improvisation and music education.
Currently, Nick is an assistant professor in the Conservatory of Music at Chapman University’s College of Performing Arts, where he lectures in world music, improvisation, and directs all percussion activities.
Nick is a proud Artist Endorser for Sabian Cymbals.
