Nicholas Tolle has been described by the New York Times as "virtuosic" and by the Albany Times-Union as "amazingly skilled." In 2009 he performed the solo cimbalom part in Pierre Boulez' Repons in Lucerne, Switzerland with the composer conducting. He has also appeared as a soloist with Collage New Music, performing Steve Mackey's 5 Animated Shorts, and with numerous orchestras performing Kodály's Háry János Suite. In 2012 he will appear with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, and Portugal’s Remix Ensemble. With his own group, The Ludovico Ensemble, he has presented concerts featuring the complete cimbalom chamber music of György Kurtág. He has also presented lectures at universities and conservatories across New England about composing for cimbalom, and has commissioned numerous solo and chamber works for the instrument. As a percussionist, he has performed with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Nederlands Radio Kamer Philharmonie, the Boston Pops Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Boston Lyric Opera and many other groups around New England. He attended the Boston, Amsterdam, and New England Conservatories. Nicholas' performance of Repons is featured in the Euroarts documentary Inheriting the Future of Music: Pierre Boulez and the Lucerne Festival Academy.
percussion