Nicholas Denton Protsack

An ongoing aspiration of BMI Award-winning composer and cellist, Nicholas Denton Protsack, is to seek new connections between music and the natural world. Called a "(composer) to keep a close eye on" by the Canadian Music Centre, Nicholas' ecologically informed music—including notated works, recorded works, and experimental improvisations—has been featured in a wide variety of concert settings across North America, Europe, and New Zealand. Recent accomplishments include winning both a first and second prize in the 2023 SOCAN Foundation Young Composers Awards, as well as commissioned works for the Toronto Summer Music Festival and the American Prize-winning Ensemble for These Times (E4TT).

As a cellist, Nicholas is an active freelance performer and advocate of new music—frequently involved in collaborative projects that range from traditional to highly experimental concert idioms. He is a founding member of New Zealand's Moth Quartet, as well as the Canadian-based Branchroot Ensemble. Although primarily a chamber musician, he has also appeared as a soloist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra.

Nicholas is currently undertaking a PhD in music at Victoria University of Wellington (NZ), studying with composers Michael Norris and Dugal McKinnon. His other major teachers have included David Garner (composition), Jean-Michel Fonteneau (cello), Jennifer Culp (cello), and Morna Howie (cello).

As a cellist, Nicholas is an active freelance performer and advocate of new music—frequently involved in collaborative projects across North America that range from more traditional idioms, to free-form improvisations. Although primarily a chamber musician, he has also appeared as a soloist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra.

Nicholas is currently undertaking a PhD in music at Victoria University of Wellington, studying with composers Michael Norris and Dugal McKinnon. His other major teachers have included David Garner (composition), Jean-Michel Fonteneau (cello), and Jennifer Culp (cello).