Nick Dinnerstein is a cellist and composer, specializing in the performance of established classical works and original compositions.

Nick has performed his music for cello and loop pedal at indie venues throughout the east coast (The Lilypad, Chinatown Soup), and has played major classical works – from Bach to Philip Glass – across the US (Greenboro Music Festival, Art Complex Museum) and abroad (Thailand International Music Festival). He is also an enthusiastic collaborator, working with a broad range of musicians and artists, from award-winning classical music composers (Narong Prangcharoen, Chen Yi) to popular sing-songerwriters, bands, and composers (The Shillls, Mary Bichner).

Nick’s performances of the classical canon – from Bach to contemporary – join high expression with personal creativity, bringing a fresh perspective to every performance, with the aim of revitalizing classical music for the modern audience.

His personal compositional style seemlessly fuses an amalgam of influences, from Shostakovich and Mozart to jazz and pop. Nick’s music utilizes elements from contrasting styles to create fresh and unexpected ideas – twists and turns – building powerful narrative journeys to engage the listener.

“Cello Loops” is Nick’s longest piece for cello and loop pedal, spanning 7 movements and lasting over 80 minutes. Other compositions include concert works for keyboard, chamber music, and music for meditation. Also an arranger, Nick has written and recorded a number of string quartet and keyboard pieces for songwriters and bands.

As a concert organizer, Nick was the founder and artistic director of the “Composer Focus” concert series, with residencies at several venues in Massachusetts, funded by a grant from the Cambridge Arts Council. The series specialized in 20^th century chamber music, featuring works by Britten, Bartok, Schnittke, Ligeti, and others.

Outside of his performing career, Nick is also a dedicated, multi-instrumentalist teacher. He offers lessons in violin, viola, cello, and piano. Please visit his teaching website for further details.

Nick’s primary cello teacher was George Neikrug, from whom he learned the Dounis method – a profound pedagogical approach that unites physical awareness, artistic expression, and incisive intellectual analysis. He also studied composition and theoretical analysis with John Howell Morrison, piano with Paul Jacobs, and violin with Virginia Neikrug.