Originally from Belgium, Nick Ost currently lives and works as a teacher and conductor in Norway, but he is active internationally as a conductor and performer.
Nick started his studies at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, and then pursued his Master’s degree in Music Performance at the Royal Flemish Conservatoire of Antwerp. He received this degree with the Highest Distinction on the euphonium.
Nick continued his education at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he earned his Master’s degree of Music Harmony in 2006. Two years later, he earned his Master’s in Orchestral Conducting from the Lemmens Institute in Leuven. Again, this achievement was awarded with Highest Distinction.
From 2001-2010, Nick was a professional euphonium player in the Royal Symphonic Band of the Belgian Guides. And since 2009, Nick has been engaged in Orchestral Conducting Masterclasses. These take place all over the world – London, St. Petersburg, Ruse, Budapest, Ostrava, Moscow, Los Angeles, and Karlovy Vary – giving Nick the honor of conducting many well-known ensembles, including:
- St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic
- The Rousse State Symphony Orchestra
- The Janacek Philharmonic
- The St. Petersburg State Hermitage Orchestra
- The Moscow Philharmonic
- Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra in concert
In September 2014, Nick was the second prizewinner at the Black Sea International Conducting Competition in Romania, where he was also awarded the George Enescu prize for best interpretation of Romanian Rhapsody No. 2.
Currently, Nick is not only a member of the Artsy & Me team, but he is also the Music Director of Vatne Hornmusikklag and Musikklaget Brage. He also guest conducts various orchestras in Belgium and Norway, and he is frequently a guest performer at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven, Belgium. He also enjoys teaching brass at the Stordal and Haram Kulturskole in Norway.
Nick has a long history with the other members of the Artsy & Me team. Learn more about those members here.