Chasing the intersection of art and science, Nicholas Edwards composes in the field, sketching melodies atop mountain peaks, in vast deserts, and on remote islands. He draws initial material from direct encounters with the natural world, then develops it through close collaboration with performers, many of whom become enduring creative partners and friends. 

He has received commissions from the Grammy-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet and the LA-based chamber ensemble Salastina. Obligate Cycles was developed during the “Salastina Composer Collective” apprenticeship program under the mentorship of Derrick Skye, and Salastina later awarded him their annual alumni commission. Other recent compositions include Pinnacles, named for the national park that inspired it; K’esugi Ridge, written in 72 hours following a week of backcountry hiking in Denali National Park, which premiered on Alaska public radio and was later performed at the Denali Visitor Center; and The Painted Desert, premiered at the Bay View Music Festival.

Also active as a conductor, Edwards has guest-conducted MusicaNova (Phoenix, AZ) and founded a student chamber orchestra which premiered more than an hour of new orchestral works. He has pursued conducting studies through the Saratoga Orchestra’s Pacific Northwest Conducting Institute, the New York Session Symphony’s Emerging Conductors Workshop, and the Ball State Bands Conducting Workshop.

Edwards is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Composition at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he studies with Kevin Puts. He holds an undergraduate degree in both Composition and Biology from Vanderbilt University, where he studied composition with Michael Alec Rose, Michael Slayton, and Molly Herron. He conducted research on the chemosensory regulation of behavior in eusocial ants in the Zwiebel Lab, and his scientific work has been published in BMC Biology and Insects.

He is a pianist, erstwhile clarinetist, and occasional but enthusiastic steelpan player. Life has led him to lovingly call many places home: North Carolina, Tennessee, Arizona, and currently Baltimore, Maryland. Outside of music, he loves hiking, travel, reading, and (most of all) dachshunds, and he is grateful to his musical collaborators who continually inspire him through their artistry and friendship.