Nico de Villiers

Biography

South Africa-born pianist Nico de Villiers is based in London and in demand as soloist, accompanist and coach in the UK as well as abroad. He holds degrees from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the University of Michigan, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Recent debuts include performances at the Barbican in London, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Birmingham Symphony Hall, the Mozarteum Großer Saal in Salzburg and the Beethoven-Haus Kammermusiksaal in Bonn. Nico has a long association with the music of Ernst von Dohnányi (Dohnányi Ernö). In addition to various performances of his piano quintets in Sweden, South Africa and the United States, Nico performed von Dohnányi’s complete piano chamber music in a three recital series at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2008. Focusing on another lesser-known composer, Nico recorded André Tchaikowsky’s Piano Sonata for the Toccata Classics label. Nico features in the EntertainmentTV documentary ‘Rebel of the Keys,’ exploring the life and music of André Tchaikowsky. Nico performed Tchaikowsky’s works in England, Poland and South Africa. Nico is currently undertaking his doctoral research at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, focusing on the songs of Dutch-born American composer Richard Hageman. He is grateful for the generous support of the Guildhall School and the International Opera Awards. He has recently co-written and published the first ever biography on Richard Hageman entitled Making the Tailcoats Fit. Hageman conducted at the Metropolitan Opera and scored some of the best-known westerns of John Ford.