Nicholas Swensen

Viola

Nicholas Algot Swensen is a passionate and active violist, chamber musician, soloist/recitalist, and conductor. As a violist, he has won several prizes such as first prize at the Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition in 2020 (Prague), fourth and special prize at the International Max Rostal Competition (Berlin), the Danish Radio Classical Talent Award, and the Carl Nielsen talent award.

Nicholas has performed at Denmark’s foremost music festivals, the Kronberg Academy Festival, Accademia Isola Classica, Oberstdorfer Musiksommer, Music@Menlo, and Ravinia Festival. In April 2021 he appeared with the Odense Symphony Orchestra performing the Walton Viola Concerto. He has received valuable guidance from esteemed musicians such as Tabea Zimmermann, Kim Kashkashian, Antoine Tamestit, and Ettore Causa, among others. Nicholas has studied with Barbara Westphal at Lübeck Musikhochschule and Lars Anders Tomter at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree at the Juilliard School with Heidi Castleman and Misha Amory.