Nick Calligeros is a Australian improvising trumpeter, composer, sound artist and educator working creatively at the intersection of jazz, experimental, and electronic ambient music. Whether it be his idiomatic trumpet playing or his sample-based electronics, Nick’s creative practice explores the magical properties of sound and texture to produce immersive music imbued with mood and meaning.
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 (of Triosk and Tangents fame). He also produces and (occasionally) performs solo explorative ambient electronics as
Nick Calligeros, described by electronica.org.uk as”an immersive sonic journey that captivates the imagination”. Over the past decade Nick has released 10 releases across these four projects.
As well as leading his own projects, Nick is 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. Further, Nick has performed with some of Australia’s most acclaimed jazz and improvising artists including Chris Abrahams (The Necks), Sia Ahmad & Jonathan Zwartz, as well as international collaborations with Belgium producer Alinovsky (aka OFF label head Alain Lefevre).
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.
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.