Avant Symphony Orchestra to Present UNSTUCK IN TIME by Thomas Nickell

The Avant Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of conductor and Artistic Director Mina Zikri, launches its 2026/27 season with a performance Wednesday evening, November 4, 2026 at 7:30 pm local time, Lake Forest's Gorton Center (400 E Illinois Rd, Lake Forest, IL 60045).

The program features composer/pianist Thomas Nickell's Unstuck in Time, as well as Sergei Borkiewicz's Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 28 (with pianist Pratyay Rao), and concludes with Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.

Thomas Nickell Unstuck in Time

Sergei Bortkiewicz Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 28

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7, in A major, Op. 92

General admission of $36.75 can be purchased through the event page. For more information, please visit pianist Thomas Nickell's website: https://thomasnickellmusic.com/.

Inventive young composer-pianist Thomas Nickell, steeped in the classical music tradition with an ear for contemporary soundscapes, has already garnered recognition throughout Europe and the United States for his thoughtful explorations of various musical genres.

As a pianist, Mr. Nickell has given many highly lauded public performances of important works by Bach, Beethoven, Berg, Gershwin, Khachaturian, Liszt, David Matthews, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, as well as his own compositions. In 2022, he launched an ongoing solo recital series at the Tenri Cultural Institute in New York City. Reviewing Mr. Nickell performing the Phillip Glass Etudes, critic Jeffrey Williams said, 'Mr. Nickell dealt with these issues with a sure technique, never letting the energy flag while maintaining a musical sense throughout. It's not an easy task, and it's also something of a high-risk, low-reward proposition that many pianists would not take on in performance...' (February 19, 2024, New York Concert Review)

Increasingly devoting his time to composition and to collaborative efforts, Mr. Nickell continues his role as Curator of the 'Avant Garden' series as part of the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago under the direction of Music Director Mina Zikri. This season, Mr. Nickell will also see a new collaborative composition, Aftertime, (co-composed with Fiona Stocks-Lyons) performed by the Pacific Northwest Ballet in a new production choreographed by Christopher D'Ariano and Amanda Morgan. Over the recent years, he has created Sarabande for solo piano (2023); Leaks for Solo Percussion and Tape (2020); Horizons for 8 Double Basses and Sine Waves (2020); Tribute (after Julius Eastman) for Solo Piano (2020); Untitled for Retuned Digital Keyboard (2020); The Falling Sun for Electronic Sounds (2020); Unstuck in Time for Orchestra (2019-20); Music for Ensemble for at least 4 players (2019-20); String Quartet in No. 2,'Heliopause,' selected for JACK Quartet Readings at Mannes (2019); Spires of Form for Voice and Piano, a work co-composed with American soprano Denise Young which was premiered at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (2019); Piano Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano (2019), Intercalendrical Zone for Piano (2019), and Prelude and Constellated Night for Piano (2019).

As pianist, Mr. Nickell has appeared frequently as guest soloist in Chicago with the Oistrakh Symphony and with the Northbrook Symphony under the baton of conductor Mina Zikri. He performed J.S. Bach's Concerto No. 1 in D Minor and Alfred Schnittke's Concerto for Piano and Strings in Chicago and at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in June 2019. The New York concert included an original Nickell composition for solo piano, entitled 'On a Windy Night.' Mr. Nickell also appeared with the Oistrakh Symphony in his Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall debut, June 2018, for a performance of Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto, Liszt's Totentanz, and giving the world premiere of his own composition, Innisfree.

Mr. Nickell holds double bachelor of music degrees from the New School, Mannes College of Music-a B.M. in piano, having studied with J Y Song, and a B.M. in composition under the tutelage of composer David T. Little. Mr. Nickell, who makes his home in New York City, likes to paint in his spare time and enjoys photography, the occasional foray into writing, and reading non-fiction, especially about composers.

Mina Zikri is Founder and Music Director of the Avant Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Northbrook Symphony. He also serves as Resident Conductor of the Lira Ensemble and directs three orchestras at DePaul University's Community Music Division. The Avant Symphony Orchestra, which evolved from the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, builds upon more than two decades of artistic development under Mr. Zikri's leadership.

His artistic development was shaped through work with some of the most influential conductors of the modern era, including Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, and Pierre Boulez. Through his association with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, he gained valuable experience assisting and performing under Barenboim on international tours, helping to shape an artistic approach grounded in collaboration, discipline, and musical integrity.

An active conductor on the international stage, Mr. Zikri appears regularly with the Egypt National Symphony Orchestra and has led performances throughout Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States. In 2018, he made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago and returned for a second performance the following season. He also collaborates with the North Shore Chamber Music Festival under the artistic direction of Vadim Gluzman and Angela Yoffe.

Committed to both artistic excellence and education, Mr. Zikri directs the DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers and is widely recognized for his work mentoring emerging musicians. His career distinctions include being selected as one of twelve finalists in the 2007 Gustav Mahler International Conducting Competition from a field of 223 candidates representing 40 countries.