Luke Nickel
Researcher, Curator, and Composer
lukejnickel@gmail com
Research Interests
Oral transmission as a compositional process within the field of experimental music. Memory as a compositional material. Compositional practices described by collaborating performers. The music of Éliane Radigue. The intersections between music and roller coasters. Artificial Intelligence and music.
Arts Leadership Employment
Cluster: New Music + Integrated Arts Festival (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)
2009 - 2020 Co-Founder and Co-Director
Montreal Contemporary Music Lab (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
2012 - 2013 Co-Founder
Education
2017 PhD in Music Composition, Bath Spa University Supervisor James Saunders and secondary supervisor Andrew Hugill
2013 Mmus in Music Composition, McGill University
2011 Bmus in Music Composition and Flute Performance, University of Manitoba
Scholarly Publications
1 Nickel, Luke “Queer perspectives in new music” in Circuit (Érudit, 2021)
2 Nickel, Luke “Scores in Bloom: Some Recent Orally Transmitted Experimental Music” in Tempo: New Music Review (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020).
3. Nickel, Luke. “Palace64: Impossible Roller Coasters as Scores for the Performance of Experimental Music” in Proceedings of the International Conference on New Tools for Music Notation and Representation (TENOR’19), Melbourne, 2019
4. Nickel, Luke. “Memory Piece: Memory as a Compositional Process” in Leonardo Music Journal issue 27 (Berkeley: MIT Press, 2017)
5. Nickel, Luke. “Occam Notions: Collaboration and the Performer’s Perspective in Éliane Radigue’s Occam Ocean” in Tempo: New Music Review (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016)
6. Nickel, Luke and Benjamin, Mira. “Correspondence on Tuning” in CeReNem Journal issue 6 (Huddersfield: CeReNem, 2017)
Manuscripts in Revision or Under Review
1. Nickel, Luke. “I Feel Love: Queer Listening” in Aural Poetics, OEI (Stockholm: OEI, 2022)
2. Nickel, Luke. “White Fang Field Recording” in Aural Poetics, OEI (Stockholm: OEI, 2022)
Edited Journals
1 Contemporary Music Review, special issue on the music of Éliane Radigue, co-edited with Bill Dougherty (2023)
Invited Talks
1. March 2019, “Impossible Roller Coasters”, University of Manitoba Desautels Faculty of Music, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2. November 2018, “Living Scores: Notation, Re-Performance, and the Loss of Fidelity”, EXPO Series, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
3. November 2017, “Living Scores”, Open Scores Lab, Bath Spa University, Bath, UK
4 May 2017, “Living Scores”, University of Southampton, London, UK
5 January 2016, composer portrait, the Canadian League of Composers, Toronto, ON
Invited Workshop Participation
1. PIVOT program. Toronto, Canada. Invited to participate by the Canadian League of Composers and Continuum Contemporary Music. (April 2019)
2. PORTFOLIO program. London, UK. Invited to participate by Sound and Music. (2014)
3. Composer’s Kitchen. Montreal, QC. Invited to participate by Quatuor Bozzini. (2014)
4. Nu: Nord. Oslo, NO. (2014)
Conference Talks
1. Nickel, Luke. “Scores in Bloom: Some Recent Orally Transmitted Experimental Music”, Collaborations are More Refreshing Than New Socks in Antwerp Belgium (December 2019)
2. Nickel, Luke. “Palace64: Impossible Roller Coasters as Scores for the Performance of Experimental Music” at the International Conference on New Tools for Music Notation and Representation (TENOR’19), Melbourne (July 2019)
3. Nickel, Luke. “Éliane Radigue’s Scoreless Works: Ideas of Ownership, Composer-Centredness, and Collaboration in the Occam Ocean Series” at the Colloque Internationale Éliane Radigue at the University of Paris Sorbonne (May 2016)
4. Nickel, Luke. “[factory]” at the Music and/as Process Study Group Conference in London, UK (June 2015).
5. Nickel, Luke. “[factory] lecture performance” at the Department of Theatre and Performance Spring Symposium at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK (June 2015).
Performances
1. Steel Becomes Silk, Gravity Recast for voice, electronics and video by Juliet Fraser at Cafe Oto (June 2022)
2. hhiiddeenn vvoorrttiicceess for piano, Soundbrenner watches, video, strobe lights, and electronics by Zubin Kanga at: Royal Holloway University, SUBMERGE festival Manchester at the RNCM, City University, Free Range Canterbury, and Kettle’s Yard Cambridge
3. Steel Becomes Silk, Gravity Recast for voice, electronics and video by Juliet Fraser at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (November 2021)
4. Conversation Piece for four speaking performers at Virtually Reality Festival online performance in Manchester UK (May 2021)
5. Impossible Roller Coaster Tutorials 1-3 (fixed media) in Hong Kong at CMHK (postponed, August 2020)
6 Cluster XI: Fictional Edition (online fixed media) in Winnipeg, MB (March 2020)
7 White Fang Field Recording by the Extradition Series in Portland, OR (October 2019)
8. White Fang Field Recording by the Extradition Series in Portland, OR (October 2019)
9. Cousins for Viola Da Gamba by Liam Byrne in Bristol, UK at Glitch (October 2019)
10. Cousins for Cello by Émilie Girard-Charest in Buenos Aires (October/November 2019)
11. A Hushed Workshop for Bass Clarinet by Heather Roche in Mexico (October 2019, 3 dates)
12. Palace64 for mixed ensemble by Decibel Ensemble in Melbourne, AU (July 2019)
13. Dive Deep in Blue, My Sweet by Continuum Contemporary Music in Toronto, ON at the Music Gallery (March 2019)
14. Moonriver32 by TAK in Winnipeg, MB (March 2019)
15. String Trio #3 by the Parkinson Saunders Duo in Norway (October 2018, 3 dates)
16. White Fang Field Recording for voices by Polycoro in Winnipeg, MB (March 2018)
17. Transcribing by the Parkinson Saunders Duo in London, UK and broadcast on BBC (October 2017)
18. Aaadagio for string orchestra by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra in Winnipeg, MB (April 2017)
19 Oshima for solo piano by Everett Hopfner in Winnipeg, MB (March 2017)
20 String Quartet #1 for voices by Tik Tok in Winnipeg, MB (August 2016)
21 String Quartet #1 for voices by Weston Olencki and others at Darmstadt (July 2016)
22. Smokescreen for voices and percussion by Architek and Viva Voce in Montreal, QC (April 2016)
23. String Quartet #1 for voices by various in Winnipeg, MB (March 2016)
24. Who’s Exploiting Who for mixed chamber ensemble by the Thin Edge New Music Collective in Toronto, ON (February 2016)
25. Smokescreen for voices and percussion by Achitek and Viva Voce in Montreal, QC (January 2016)
26. String Quartet #1 for voices by Weston Olencki and others at CCRMA in San Francisco, CA (November 2015)
27. White Fang Field Recording for voices by various performers at Sanctum in Bristol, UK (November 2015)
28. The Strange Eating Habits of Erik Satie for voices by EXAUDI in London, UK (October 2015)
29. [factory] by Michael Baldwin (July 2015)
30. White Fang Field Recording for voices by various performers at Bang the Bore in Bristol, UK (June 2015)
31 String Quartet #1 for voices by various in Bristol, UK (April 2015)
32 Made of My Mother’s Cravings for String Quartet by Quatuor Bozzini in Huddersfield, UK (November 2014)
33. [factory] by Mira Benjamin and Isaiah Ceccarelli, in London, UK (August 2014)
34. [factory] by Mira Benjamin and Isaiah Ceccarelli in London, UK (August 2014)
35. Made of My Mother’s Cravings for String Quartet by Quatuor Bozzini in Montreal, QC (June 2014)
36. A Second is a Second isn’t a Second (installation) at Panoply Performance Laboratory in NYC, NY (June 2014)
37. [factory] by Mira Benjamin in Winnipeg, MB (March 2014)
38. Kyrie for SATB choir by Canzona in Winnipeg, MB (March 2014)
39. Duet: Multivariants for two instruments by the Loewen Harrington Duo in Winnipeg, MB (August 2013)
40. Crossfade Piece: After James Tenny for solo percussionist by Ryan Packard at Oberlin (July 2013)
41. Revolutions d’orphee for mixed ensemble by Ensemble Paramirabo in Montreal, QC (June 2013)
42 Revolutions d’orphee for mixed ensemble by Ensemble Paramirabo in Montreal, QC (May 2013)
43 Crossfade Piece: After James Tenny for solo percussionist by Ryan Packard in Montreal, QC (May 2013)
44. Whole Beauty Now Lies in Memory for Wind Ensemble by the McGill Wind Symphony in Montreal, QC (February 2013)
45. Reorganization performed by Mira Benjamin in Montreal, QC (January 2013)
46. Reorganization performed by Sarah Albu in Montreal, QC (November 2012)
47. Kumiko for mixed ensemble by Ensemble Paramirabo in Montreal, QC (May 2012)
48. Kumiko for mixed ensemble by Ensemble Paramirabo in Montreal, QC (April 2012)
49. Ophiuchus Rising Prologue and Scene 1 for voices and percussion in Winnipeg, MB (March 2012)
50. Turtles Don’t Smile for MalletKAT by Rick Sacks in Toronto, ON (January 2012)
51. Walking on Air for voices by the University of Manitoba Contemporary Opera Lab in Winnipeg, MB (August 2011)
52. Zapdos for mixed ensemble by ArrayMusic Ensemble in Toronto, ON (May 2011)
53 L’étoile noyée for orchestra performed by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Winnipeg, MB (January 2011)
54 Kirin for alto saxophone and piano by the Harrington Loewen Duo in Winnipeg, MB (October 2010)
55. Turtles Don’t Smile for MalletKAT and dancer by Jamie Pham and Freya Olafson in Winnipeg, MB (March 2010)
Broadcasts
1 BBC Radio-3, Cousins (April 2020)
2 BBC Radio-3, Transcribing (October 2018)
3. CBC Radio-2, l’étoile noyée (January 2011)
Recordings
1. Gemini, released on PLU records, Bristol UK (2020)
Profiling in Publications
1. Roche, Heather. “Luke Nickel Transmits a Living Score” in Musicworks Issue 132 (Toronto, 2019).
2. Rutherford-Johnson, Tim. “Unsettling Scores” in The Wire Issue 403 (London, 2017).
3. Gottschalk, Jennie. Experimental Music Since 1970. New York; London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016. pp. 216-217.
Residencies
1 Residency at Q-O2 in Brussels, Belgium (April 2022)
2. Residency at Arnolfini in Bristol, UK (March 2017)
List Of Works
Orally Transmitted Scores
1. Cousins (2019) (living score) for Viola Da Gamba or Cello written for Liam Byrne and Émilie Girard-Charest, (open duration)
2. A Hushed Workshop (2018) (living score) for bass clarinet written for Heather Roche, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (15 minutes)
3. Oshima (living score) (2017) for solo piano written for Everett Hopfner (15 minutes)
4. Smokescreen (living score) (2015) for percussion quartet and SATB choir written for Architek and Viva Voce with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (12 minutes)
5. Who’s Exploiting Who (living score) (2016) for unspecified chamber ensemble written for the Thin Edge New Music Collective (10 minutes)
6 The Strange Eating Habits of Erik Satie (living score) (2014/15) for SATB choir written for EXAUDI as a part of Sound and Music’s Portfolio Scheme 2014/15 (open duration)
7. Made of my Mother’s Cravings (living score) (2014) for string quartet written for the Bozzini Quartet (open duration)
8. [Factory] (living score) (2014) for open instrumentation written for Mira Benjamin (open duration)
Impossible Roller Coasters
1. Supreme Chains (2023) for string quartet, written for Quatuor Bozzini with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (25 minutes)
2. hhiiddeenn vvoorrttiicceess (2022) for solo piano, soundbrenner watches, video, electronics and strobe lights written for Zubin Kanga commissioned by Zubin Kanga as part of the Cyborg Soloists project at Royal Holloway University
3 Steel becomes silk, gravity recast (2021) for voice, electronics, video and simulated roller coasters written for Juliet Fraser with support from the Manitoba Arts Council and the HCMF (2021)
4. Palace64 (2019) (living score) for unspecified chamber ensemble written for Decibel Ensemble with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (7 minutes)
5. Moonriver32 (2018) for unspecified chamber ensemble, solo voice, and video written for TAK Ensemble with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (6 minutes)
Queering Classical Music
1. Dive Deep in Blue, My Sweet (2019) for flute, clarinet in Bb, violin, cello, percussion, piano, conductor, theremin, tape, and video written for Continuum as part of the CLC’s PIVOT program (10 minutes)
2 Aaadagio (2017) for string orchestra written for the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra with support from the Manitoba Arts Council (10 minutes)
3. Whole Beauty Now Lies in Memory (2012) for wind ensemble and solo vocalist written for the McGill Schulich School of Music Wind Symphony dir. Alain Cazes 2012-2013 (11:00)
Vocal Works
1. After Glenn Gould (2020) for SATB voices, written for EXAUDI with support from the Manitoba Arts Council
2 String Trio #1 (2019) for three speaking performers written for the Parkinson/Saunders Duo, (10 minutes)
3 Transcribing (2017) for two typing performers written for the Parkinson/Saunders Duo (open duration)
4. White fang field recording (2015) for four speaking performers (open duration)
5. String Quartet #1 (2015) for four speaking performers written for a residency at Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol, UK (13 minutes)
6. Kyrie (2013) for SATB choir written for Groundswell and Canzona (7:30)
7. Conversation Piece (2013) for four speaking performers (open duration)
Verbal / Graphic Scores
1 Duet: Multivariants (graphic score) (2013) for two instruments written for the Harrington/Loewen saxophone/piano duo (open duration)
2 Filters (graphic score) (2013) for two instruments written for Nu:Nord 2013
3. Crossfade piece: after James Tenney (text score) (2013) written for Ryan Packard (open duration)
4. Reorganization (text score) (2012) for unspecified instrument written for Sarah Albu (open
duration)
Digital Works
1. Distant Cousins (2022) webpage with video and audio created for Liam Byrne and Émilie Girard-Charest with support from the Canada Council for the Arts
2. Impossible Roller Coaster Tutorials 1-3 (2020) fixed video created for CMHK in Hong Kong with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (27 minutes)
3. Un-notation Process (2020) created for Decolonial Imaginings Project hosted by of-the-now (10 minutes)
4. Cluster Festival: Fictional Edition (2020) set of AI-generated images created for Cluster: New Music + Integrated Arts Festival Digital Edition
5. A second is a second isn’t a second (2014) installation (open duration)
Older Works (2008 - 2013)
1. Révolutions d’orphee (2013) for unspecified chamber ensemble written for Ensemble Paramirabo (8:00)
2. Ophiuchus Rising Prologue and Scene 1 (2011) for 3 voices and percussion (20:00)
3. ZAPDOS (2011) for Violin, Cello, Piano, and Percussion written for the Arraymusic Young Composers’ Workshop (13:00))
4. Kirin (2010) for alto sax and piano commissioned by the Loewen/Harrington duo (8:00)
5. Turtles Don’t Smile (2009) for MalletKAT, computer processing, and dancer (10:00)
6. Kumiko (2010) for flute, clarinet in Bb, violin, cello, piano and vibraphone, written for the University of Manitoba/Eighth Blackbird Reading Session, 2010 (10:00)
7. L’etoile noyée (2008) for orchestra written in conjunction with the ACI mentorship program (5:30)
Affiliations and Associations
Canadian League of Composers, head of advocacy committee, council member and regional representative for Prairie Region (2019-2022)
Canadian New Music Network, Member, 2014-2022
British Music Collection, 2014-present
Nu:Nord, Creative Advisor, 2012-2013
Juries and Selection Committees
Canada Council for the Arts
GroundSwell national composition competition, 2016-2018
Junos, classical composition of the year selection judge, 2016
Other Skills
Experienced using Adobe Premiere video editing software
Proficient in using Google Drive, Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, Max/MSP
Experienced using Facebook Analytics, Twitter, and Instagram advertising platforms
Completed High School French and French 1 at the University of Manitoba
Find me on
Web: www lukenickel com / Instagram: @postyork