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Nicholas D’Silva, clarinettist

Artist Biography

Nicholas D’Silva is a versatile musician based in Sydney, Australia. As a clarinettist, he specialises in solo and chamber repertoire spanning the classical to contemporary periods. He has also made contributions as a composer, arranger, artistic director, educator, and electronic music producer.

He completed his Bachelor of Music (Performance) in clarinet at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM), The University of Sydney, with Francesco Celata. In 2017 he was awarded the SCM Patricia Lucas Music Achievement Scholarship. In 2018 he was winner of the SCM Concerto Competition, leading to his solo debut performing Tomasi’s Clarinet Concerto with the SCM Symphony Orchestra in 2019. As a recipient of the Edna Wilde Scholarship, he also performed Debussy’s Première Rhapsodie as soloist with the Ryde Hunters Hill Symphony Orchestra. In 2023 he was the winner of the University of New South Wales Concerto Competition, and performed Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2 with the University of New South Wales Symphony Orchestra later that year. He was also twice awarded merit-based scholarships to be a participant at the Academy of Le Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, with Olli Leppäniemi and Yehuda Gilad.

As a musician, he has always placed importance on contemporary performance techniques and the exploration of new ways to present music to modern audiences. As a composer he was the winner of the Sydney University Musical Society Composition Competition in 2017, which led to a premiere performance of his Lux Aeterna by the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra and Choir later that year. In 2018, he co-founded and co-directed (until 2021) the Icarus Chamber Project, a platform for the exploration and expansion of chamber music repertoire. In 2019 he presented a solo recital featuring a significant electronics component, and in 2020 he presented another solo recital consisting entirely of works written for other (non-clarinet) instruments, most of which were arranged and published himself. Proficient in electronic music production, he was also winner of the 2015 Red Bull Music Academy Purist Remix Competition, which was premiered with an interview on-air at Rádio_FM, Slovakia, and released on a subsequent album.

Education

  • Bachelor of Music (Performance) | Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney, 2017–2020.
    • High Distinction Weighted Average Mark (WAM) (≈ 4.0/4.0 GPA).
    • With Francesco Celata. Additional masterclasses with Dimitri Ashkenazy, Franklin Cohen, Andrew Marriner, and James Burke.
    • Selected as Principal Clarinet for the SCM Wind Symphony international tour to Spain (see Professional Development).
    • Winner of several scholarships, awards, and competitions (see Awards).
  • Additional sessions with Yehuda Gilad and Olli Leppäniemi at the Academy of Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, on scholarship (see Professional Development).

Awards

  • University of New South Wales Concerto Competition Winner (2023)
  • Academy of Domaine Forget de Charlevoix Enriched Program Scholarship, awarded twice (2020, 2021)
  • Sydney Conservatorium of Music Concerto Competition Winner (2018)
  • Edna Wilde Scholarship Recipient (2018)
  • RHHSO Composition Competition Second Place (2018)
  • Dean’s List of Excellence in Academic Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney (2017)
  • Sydney University Musical Society Composition Competition Winner (2017)
  • Sydney Conservatorium of Music Patricia Lucas Music Achievement Scholarship Recipient (2017)
  • Red Bull Music Academy Purist Remix Competition Winner (2015)

Selected Performances

  • UNSW Orchestra Concert: Romanze - Soloist with Orchestra
    • 10th November 2023, University of New South Wales
    • With Dr. Steven Hillinger (conductor) and the University of New South Wales Orchestra
    • C. M. v. Weber - Concerto No. 2 for Clarinet and Orchestra (1811)
  • Final Undergraduate Recital - Solo Recital
    • 4th December 2020, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
    • With Ingrid Sakurovs (piano)
    • P. d. Sarasate - Carmen Fantasie de Concert (1992) arr. N. Baldeyrou (2009)
    • S. Prokofiev - Sonata in D (1943) arr. N. D’Silva (2019)
    • T. Yoshimatsu - Fuzzy Bird Sonata (1991) arr. N. D’Silva (2020)
  • Greenway Series: SCM Symphony Orchestra - Soloist with Orchestra
    • 23rd August 2019, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
    • With Roger Benedict (chief conductor) and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Symphony Orchestra
    • H. Tomasi - Concerto pour clarinette et orchestre (1957)

Some performances are available on YouTube.

Selected Publications and Premieres

  • C. Debussy - Violin Sonata in G minor, L. 140 (Arrangement for Clarinet and Piano) (2024)
  • C. Franck - Violin Sonata in A major (Arrangement for Clarinet and Piano) (2021)
  • W. A. Mozart - Divertimento No. 1 in B-flat major from ‘5 Divertimenti, K. 439b’ (Arrangement for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon) (2020)
    • Premiered in Icarus Chamber Project: Emergence in 2021.
  • S. Prokofiev - Sonata in D, Op. 94 (Arrangement for Clarinet and Piano) (2019)
    • Premiered in Final Undergraduate Recital in 2020.
  • W. A. Mozart - Clarinet Quintet in A, K. 581 (Arrangement for Clarinet and Saxophone Quartet) (2019)
    • Premiered with the Olinda Quartet in Icarus Chamber Project: Reworked in 2019.
  • N. D’Silva - Lux Aeterna for String Orchestra and Choir (2017)
    • Winner of the 2017 Sydney University Musical Society Composition Competition.
    • Premiered by the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra and Choir in 2017.
  • Purist - Tomorrow’s Life (Sonarius Remix) (2015)
    • Winner of the Red Bull Music Academy Purist Remix Competition.
    • Remixed by N. D’Silva under the pseudonym Sonarius while under the age of 18.
    • Premiered on-air at Rádio_FM, Slovakia, with interview. Released on the Tomorrow’s Life Remix album by Purist.

Some arrangements are available on Sheet Music Plus and Sheet Music Direct.

Teaching

I am also a dedicated teacher, providing advanced education in clarinet, music theory and analysis, and aural skills. As an experienced musician, I assist students achieve their goals in a thorough, yet efficient manner. Since my teaching experience began in 2016, I have become very familiar with AMEB and HSC syllabi, as well as general performance, competition, and scholarship criteria from an educational perspective. To ensure the quality of my lessons remain high, I accept a limited number of enrolments. Some further information regarding my broader experience with education is detailed here.

Professional Development

  • Clarinet Sessions | Academy of Domaine Forget de Charlevoix (2020, 2021)
    • Attendance of the enriched program, twice on scholarship.
    • Private studies with Yehuda Gilad and Olli Leppäniemi.
  • Music Business Specialisation | Berklee College of Music via Coursera (Verified 2021)
  • Electronic Music Production Specialisation | Berklee College of Music via Coursera (Verified 2021)
  • Principal Clarinettist for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Wind Symphony | The World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Conference, Buñol, Spain (2019)

A complete list of all professional development activities, including those not directly relevant to this page, is available here.