Having made a very successful debut at the BBC Proms in 2010, Nicholas has been re-invited in both 2011 and 2012 with Aurora Orchestra and with the London Sinfonietta and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. With Aurora Nicholas leads the New Moves series, a unique three-year cross-arts residency at LSO St Luke’s which has included critically acclaimed collaborations with capoeira, film, theatre, tango, and literature. With innovative programming, one recent concert Jealous Guy juxtaposed composers, Purcell, Piazzolla, Lennon, Mahler and Bernstein. Nicholas and Aurora were part of the Mozart Unwrapped season at Kings Place and in Brahms Unwrapped in 2012. Also at Kings Place, a concert featuring the works of Nico Muhly launched the CD Seeing is Believing on Decca to critical acclaim. Nicholas and Aurora recently collaborated with Ian Bostridge and Angelika Kirchschlager in performances of Satie’s Socrate and Britten’s Phaedra at the Wigmore Hall.

Last season Nicholas made his debuts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Northern Sinfonia and the Munich Chamber Orchestra at the Munich Biennale. With London Sinfonietta Nicholas conducted works by George Benjamin and Ligeti and he made his concert debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a programme of Philip Glass and Richard Strauss.

In 12/13 he has reinvitations to the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Mozart Players and Northern Sinfonia and will make further debuts with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic, Spanish National Orchestra, Orchestre National d’Ile de France, Bournemouth Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Academy of Ancient Music, Auckland Philharmonia and Ensemble Intercontemporain.

Nicholas will make his debuts with English National Opera The Magic Flute, Welsh National Opera Jonathan Harvey’s Wagner Dream during the 12/13 season and also make his debut with Glyndebourne on Tour in the autumn of 2013. Other operatic highlights include a special project at Glyndebourne conducting a new work, The Knight Crew by Julian Phillips which featured in a major BBC Two series. With the Opera Group he has conducted the first performances of Elena Langer’s The Lion’s Face and Luke Bedford’s Seven Angels (the latter with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group) including performances at the Linbury Theatre at the Royal Opera House.