Nick Calligeros is an Australian improvising trumpeter, composer, sound artist and educator working creatively at the intersection of jazz, electronic ambient and experimental music. Whether it be his idiomatic, improvising trumpet playing or his sample-based electronics, Nick’s artistic output explores the magical properties of sound and texture to produce music both immersive and affecting.

Based in Dharawal Country (Wollongong), Nick leads ambient post-jazz group SOFT SPOT, described by Eastside Radio as “an immersive and genre-bending listening experience” , co-leads celebrated experimental composer-improviser collective Microfiche ("One of the finest new music groups to emerge in recent times” The Music Trust), and electro-acoustic “improvisational supergroup” (Sydneydotnet) quartet We Will Intersect, with pianist Adrian Lim-Klumpes (Triosk/Tangents). He also produces and performs solo explorative ambient electronics as Nick Calligeros, described by electronica.org.uk as ”an immersive sonic journey that captivates the imagination”. Nick has performed across Australia, Europe and the U.S. with both his own ensembles and as a collaborator.

Over the past decade Nick has released 10 records across four projects, on both local and international labels including Earshift (AUS), OFF (BE), Creative Sources (PT) and People Sound (AUS). Further, Nick has developed a fascination with presenting his work live in unique and immersive ways including deep listening events, residencies with guest artists, sound baths and listening parties, as well as activating spaces such as yoga studios and churches.

Nick has also begun writing for screen and theatre, with recent commissions in 2026 including those for film and dance.

Nick is also a go-to collaborator for some of Australia’s most forward thinking artists and projects such as Tangents, Alaska Orchestra (with whom he performed with for Vivid Festival 2018 at the Sydney Opera House), Meg Alice Clune, and the CoronaCode Music Project. He has also performed with some of Australia’s most acclaimed jazz and improvising artists including Chris Abrahams (The Necks) & Jonathan Zwartz, as well as an on-going international collaboration with Belgium producer Alinovsky (aka OFF label head Alain Lefevre), including two releases on the Lefevre’s OFF label across 2024 and 2025.

He has also played and recorded for an eclectic range of popular music acts as a session musician including indie rockers Middle Kids, and Human Noise, rapper Kid Mac, singer-songwriter Kim Churchill, producer Billy Fox, vocal group The Maes, pop-brass band Hot Potato Band, and Aussie reggae outfit Black Bird Hum.

He has performed at numerous notable venues and festivals across Across and overseas including Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Vivid Festival, Splendour in the Grass, Woodford Folk Festival, The Sydney Opera House, City Recital Hall, MONA, and STRATA jazz festival and Phoenix Central Park

Outside of the trumpet, Nick composes explorative ambient electronic music. In 2019 he released an E.P. entitled ‘In Bloom, In Blend’ – a collection of distinctive mood-driven sound collages built from everyday sounds. In 2023, he released his second E.P. of solo explorative solo electronics, entitled ‘In Fight & In Flow’, on Sydney/Gadigal-based People Sound label.

Nick completed a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance in 2015 from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he was mentored by internationally recognised Australian jazz musicians Phil Slater, Simon Barker and Mike Nock. In 2021, Nick returned to the Sydney Conservatorium to undertake a research-based Masters of Music Performance, supported by the Kathleen Armstrong Bequest Scholarship. Through this study, Nick developed an original practice-led study under the supervision of mentor Phil Slater, culminating in a dissertation and accompanying album was completed in 2023, available online to read here. 

Other recent accolades include being the recipient of APRAAMCOS’s Creative Fund, Create NSW’s Next Steps: Professional Development Grant, SIMA Regional Touring Fund (for Microfiche), and Australian Council for the Arts funding (for Microfiche).

Nick is also a passionate music educator, working as an in-house peripatetic trumpet tutor at a number of high schools where he passes on his love for brass playing and music-making of all kinda. He also directs a number jazz bands, aiming to inspire a new generation of young improvisers and creative minds.

Nick’s creative output extends to the written word, running a blog at nickcalligeros.com where he publishes art, essays on music, resources and more.