Areas of Expertise
- Director of Choral Activities
- Performance Anxiety
- Vibrato and Pitch Perception
- Contemporary Choral Music
Professional Background
Originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, Nicholle Andrews D.Mus. is founder and conductor emeritus of the professional chamber choir La Ceilagh. Formed in 2003, this 24-voice chamber choir was created with a mission to perform contemporary Canadian choral music.
Nicholle has worked with composers Imant Raminsh, R. Murray Schafer, alcides lanza and Krystoph Penderecki, and eminent conductors Bramwell Tovey, Sir David Willcox, Bobby McFerrin, Tõnu Kaljuste, Georg Titner, Lydia Adams and Jon Washburn.
Nicholle was technical director of the celebrated international non-competitive festival of choral music, Festival 500 Sharing the Voices from 1999 to 2005. This heralded choral festival and academic symposium bring together singers, conductors and scholars from cultures worldwide. She served as special programs coordinator at the Banff Center for Fine Arts Music and Sound department in 1999 and 2002.
At the university, Nicholle's areas of specialization include choral conducting (University Chorus, Madrigal Singers), early music history, choral education methods, ear training and musicianship. She also conducts a graduate seminar on performance anxiety.
Nicholle completed her doctorate and master's in choral conducting at McGill University where she studied with Professor Iwan Edwards, Dr. John Baboukis, and Dr. Julian Wachner. While at McGill University, Nicholle taught musicianship, instrumental conducting and choral conducting. She completed her Bachelors of Music in oboe performance, and music education at Memorial University of Newfoundland where she studied conducting with Dr. Douglas Dunsmore.
Nicholle has also taught music (kindergarten to grade 12) in several public schools throughout Canada and England.
Courses Taught at Redlands
- Advanced Choral Conducting
- Choral Conducting Lessons
- Graduate Seminar on Performance Anxiety
- Madrigal Singers
- University Choir
- Ear Training
Degrees Held
- B.Mus., B.MusEd., Memorial University of Newfoundland
- M.Mus., D.Mus., McGill University
Previous Teaching Experience
- Adjunct Professor at McGill University
- Grades K-12 in Canada and England
Leadership Positions, Performances, Recordings and Presentations
- Artistic and Music Director of the Feast of Lights
- Conducted the University of Redlands Madrigal Singers at Frederick Swann’s CD release concert Spring 2009
- Conducted the University of Redlands Madrigal Singers at CMEA (California Music Educators Association) in 2008 Sacramento, and 2009 Ontario
- Festival 500, 2009 Conducting The University of Redlands Madrigal Singers, Invited performance
- Published in the Journal of Research in Music Education : An Investigation Into the Choral Singer’s Experience of Music Performance Anxiety
- Presentation at Festival 500 The Phenomenon of Singing, International Symposium VI, 2007 Teaching Through Composition: The Study of alcides lanza
- Presentation at Festival 500 The Phenomenon of Singing, International Symposium VI, 2007 An Investigation Into the Choral Singer’s Experience of Music Performance Anxiety
- Presentation at Festival 500 The Phenomenon of Singing, International Symposium VII, 2009 Vibrato and Pitch Perception: Does the presence or absence of vibrato influence how intonation is perceived and assessed?
Professional Affiliations
- ACDA, American Choral Directors Association
- Chorus America
- ACCC, Association of Canadian Choral Conductors
- MENA, Music Educators National Association
- CMEA, California Music Educators Association