Biography
Nigel Armstrong is a senior in the bachelor’s program at the
Colburn School in Los Angeles, where he studies with Robert Lipsett.
Since his solo debut with the Baroque Sinfonia, Nigel has performed
concerti and showpieces with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Berkeley
Symphony Orchestra, the Bozeman Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony
Youth Orchestra, the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, the Downey Symphony
Orchestra, and the American Philharmonic of Sonoma County, with which
he performed during two seasons. As part of the Neptune Trio at the
Walnut Hill School in Natick, Massachusetts, where he spent his junior
and senior years of high school, Nigel received an honorable mention
from the Junior Division of the Fischoff International Chamber Music
Competition. He is currently co-concertmaster of the Colburn Orchestra
in addition to concertmaster of the American Youth Symphony.
During the past few summers, Nigel has been a fellow of the Aspen
Music Festival and the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara;
other summer programs have included Music@Menlo in Menlo Park,
California, and the ENCORE School for Strings in Hudson, Ohio. Past
teachers include Zaven Melikian and Donald Weilerstein.
Nigel has received first prize in the concerto competitions of the
Boston Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra,
and the Downey Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Nigel was the recipient
of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra’s, the American
Philharmonic’s, and the Culver City Symphony's Parness Young Artist Awards. He placed 2nd in the Senior Division at the 2010 Menuhin Competition in Oslo, Norway, and has received prizes from
competitions including the Pacific Musical Society Competition and the
Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings, where
he was awarded the prizes for violin performance and for performance of
solo Bach. He took first place in the SF Bay Area American Society of
String Teachers (ASTA) 2004 competition, and went on to win the
California state ASTA competition.
Upcoming competitions include the Montreal International Violin Competition, the Buenos Aires Violin Concerto Competition, and the Banff International String Quartet Competition, where he will play with the Paresson String Quartet.
Resumé
Education
Currently enrolled at The Colburn School, Conservatory of Music.
2007 Graduated from the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA.
2000,
2001, School courses taken through Educational Program for Gifted Youth
(EPGY), a program of Stanford University specializing in internet based
curriculum
1995-2005, Elementary, middle, and early high school studies as a mixture of
public education and home school in Sonoma, California Schools
Musical Training
Present - Robert Lipsett, Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair, in the The Colburn School, Conservatory of Music
August, 2005 to June, 2007 - teacher, Mr. Donald Weilerstein, Professor of Violin, New England Conservatory of Music
June, 2004 to August, 2005 – teacher, Mr. Li Lin, Professor of Violin, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
January,
2000 to May, 2004 – teacher, Mr. Zaven Melikian, Professor of Violin
San Francisco Conservatory of Music (retired) and Concertmaster, San
Francisco Opera Orchestra (retired)
Summer, 2003 – Encore Summer Music Program, Hudson, Ohio
Mr. David Cerone and Mrs. Linda Cerone, teachers
June, 2003 – Young Artist in the Starling-Delay Symposium at Juilliard, NYC
Performed in master classes for Brian Lewis, Won-Bin Yim, and Anne Akiko-Meyers
Summer, 2002 – Indiana University String Academy Summer Music Program, Bloomington, Indiana
Ms. Mimi Zweig, teacher
May 2002 – Master class with Alexander Barantchik, concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony
Summer, 2001 – California Summer Music (CSM) program, Pebble Beach, California
Mr. Zaven Melikian, Ms. Robin Sharp, Mrs. Wendy Sharp, teachers
Summer, 2000 – Walden School composition and improvisation summer program, Walden, New Hampshire
Ms. Patricia Plude, teacher
1995 – 1999 – private violin and piano lessons in Sonoma, California
Concert Experience
October
21-22, 2006, featured soloist for American Philharmonic - Sonoma
County, conducted by Gabriel Sakakeeny. Performed Saint-Saëns' Havanaise and Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso
January,
2005, featured soloist for the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, conducted
by George Thompson. Performed Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E major and Pablo de Sarasate’s Zapateado, the piano part arranged for orchestra by Mr. Thompson
May
16, 2004, featured soloist for the San Francisco Symphony Youth
Orchestra’s final regular season performance in Davies Hall, conducted
by Edwin Outwater. Performed Henri Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No. 5 in A minor
April 4, 2004, full recital, Jackson Theatre, Santa Rosa, sponsored by the Santa Rosa Concert Association
March,
2004, featured soloist for the combined San Francisco Symphony and
Youth Orchestra benefactors’ performance. Performed J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
August,
2003, featured soloist for the Reno Symphony, at the Lake Tahoe Summer
Music Festival finale concert, conducted by Timm Rolek. Performed
Tschaikowsky’s Violin Concerto, 1st movement, and as an encore, Recitative and Scherzo-Caprice by Fritz Kreisler
February, 2003, featured soloist for the Berkeley Symphony, conducted by George Thompson. Played Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E major, third movement
January, 2003, featured guest on the “From the Top” radio program, performed Dvorak’s Romance in f minor
October, 2002, San Francisco Conservatory recital, featuring compositions by Bach, Wieniawski, and Dont
July,
2002, featured soloist for finale concert, Indiana University String
Academy Summer Music Program, Bloomington, Indiana, performed as winner
of the summer Bach Violin Concerto competition
May, 2002, full recital, Sonoma, California, featuring compositions by Vitali, Brahms, Kreisler, and Wieniawski
February, 2002 – soloist for the Baroque Sinfonia, Santa Rosa, California, conducted by Eugene Shepard. Mozart’s Violin Concerto in G Major