What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1281647
AUGUST 23-29, 2020 WHAT'S UP! 3 'A Golden Age For SoNA' BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette R iley Nicholson says new friends in Fayetteville will no doubt be unsurprised by what he does in his spare time. "I love the arts! Outside of music, I enjoy going to art openings, dance performances, theater and more. I am a very uncompetitive runner, and I'm (très lentement) learning French and have friends in Europe that I try to visit once a year — not this year, sadly." Instead, as summer winds down toward autumn, Nicholson is settling in, having moved from San Francisco back to his home state of Arkansas. Beginning Aug. 18, he is the new executive director of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. He replaces Matthew Herren, who returned to his home state to become executive director of the Harrisburg Symphony in Pennsylvania. Nicholson, 29, grew up in the Lake Hamilton School District of Hot Springs, where he says he "benefited from having access to instruments and high-level musical experiences through band." But it wasn't long after he started percussion that he knew he wanted to play the piano, too, and started to study with a local teacher he calls "fantastic," Grace Ann Kuntz. "I also had a considerable amount of exposure through my family," he adds. "My dad's side of the family is peppered with music professionals. We would often see them play and would occasionally drive to Little Rock to hear the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. I'm grateful that my family introduced me to the arts and supported me so fiercely." When it came time to choose a path into the future, Nicholson says, "I knew I wanted to pursue endeavors with real purpose, and to me, that meant better understanding and helping people through psychology and meaningful artistic expression through music. "For a long time, I pursued both fervently and even combined them by doing a research study on music performance anxiety — my one and only scientific article, published in the Psychology of Music! However, while I am still fascinated by psychology, my calling was music. Perhaps in an alternate universe somewhere, I'm a therapist." After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance at the University of Memphis, Nicholson went on receive a Master of Music in composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. "The rich arts ecosystem in the Bay Area and the fantastic faculty at the conservatory were the two biggest draws for me, and both proved to be invaluable," he says. "I learned so much from the faculty both about arts entrepreneurship and about artistry. "I quickly realized that arts entrepreneurship and business savvy are key to being able to launch an artistic career; successful artists usually know how fund raise and produce their own projects," he goes on. "So I worked hard to develop these skills. With those skills, I was able to support other artists and could help them produce their performances, which I found to be very fulfilling. Thus, a career in arts administration was a natural fit. "I also learned that, to me, some of the most artistically interesting projects are collaborations between A Hot Springs native educated in Memphis and San Francisco, D. Riley Nicholson has joined the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas as its new executive director. Music director Paul Haas says, "We're looking at a new golden age for SoNA." (Courtesy Photo) Multi-talented Riley Nicholson new executive director GO ONLINE SoNA sonamusic.org D. Riley Nicholson rileynicholson.com See SoNA Page 4 FAYETTEVILLE