Christoph Croisé to Perform Christopher Tyler Nickel's Cello Concerto on AVIE

On November 6, composer Christopher Tyler Nickel will release a new album on AVIE Records, featuring his first Concerto for Cello and Reflections on Requiem. The album features solo cellist Christoph Croisé, along with pianist Oxana Shevchenko and the Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra under conductor Clyde Mitchell.

The collaboration between Swiss cellist Christoph Croisé and Canadian composer Christopher Tyler Nickel began while Nickel was working on a new cello concerto. In Croisé the composer found an ideal interpreter for his composition. Croisé's passion for new music aligned with his admiration for Nickel's modern yet clear aesthetic.

The composer elaborates, “One of the joys of working with Christoph was that he understood the emotions of the concerto right from the start. He's such an intuitive player and I knew immediately that he understood what I was after. What more could a composer ask for?”

Nickel is no stranger to the concerto genre, having penned many for winds and brass. But this is his first for a stringed instrument, a challenge he relished as he explored – with Croisé's input – the variety of colors, timbres and harmonic possibilities of the instrument.

Their collaboration led Nickel to compose two new works for Croisé, for cello and piano. The intimate, seven-movement Reflections on Requiem draws on melodic themes from the composer's Requiem (released on AVIE in March 2024). The two miniatures, Echoes of Tranquility, were inspired by a suggestion from Croisé to compose accessible modern music for today's listening lifestyle. Without any artistic compromise, Nickel delivered what Croisé calls “beautiful little masterpieces.”

TRACKLIST CHRISTOPHER TYLER NICKEL (b. 1978)

Concerto for Cello No. 1** (2023)
I. Andante inquieto​
II. Presto​
III. Cantabile con rubato​
IV: Allegro con fuoco​

Reflections on Requiem* (2025)
I. Andante​
II. Andante misterioso
III. Reflectively
IV. Andante misterioso ​
V. Andante​
VI. Reflectively​
VII. Solemn

Echo of Tranquility I * (2025) ​
Echo of Tranquility II * (2025) ​

Christoph Croisé, solo cello
Oxana Shevchenko, piano *
Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra **
Clyde Mitchell, conductor

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Christopher Tyler Nickel's award-winning music has been heard in concert halls, on film, television, and in theatres in over 160 countries.

He is the author of numerous concert works which have been performed by orchestras, chamber ensembles, and soloists throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. Highlights include the 2002 performance by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic of his Fanfare for Freedom for an audience of 40,000. This concert was broadcast on live radio throughout the east coast of the United States for their 2002 Independence Day celebrations. Another highlight was the Vancouver Symphony's outdoor performance of the aforementioned piece for an audience of 9,000. Major works include a concerto for piccolo/flute/alto flute written especially for Sarah Jackson (piccolo of the Los Angeles Philharmonic) that was premiered in Vancouver; Tranquility for solo English horn and orchestra premiered by Beth Orson (principal English horn of the Vancouver Symphony); and the 2015 premiere of his Concerto for Oboe written for Roger Cole (principal oboe of the Vancouver Symphony). Christopher's many orchestral performances include two world premieres by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. His theatre work includes a musical based on Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, ballet music for CatchingART Contemporary Ballet, as well as composing music for director Christopher Gaze and the celebrated Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver.

In the world of film and television music, Christopher has composed for hundreds of hours of productions for clients that include Discovery, CBC, Corus, Sci-Fi, Hallmark, Alliance Atlantis, Lifetime, National Geographic, Teletoon, HGTV, and History. His scores include music for the acclaimed series Highway Thru Hell, Heavy Rescue: 401, and The Nature of Things. His many film and television scores have garnered him three SOCAN Awards, a Leo Award win and eleven nominations to date, and the 2004 Gold Medal for Best Score at the Park City Film Music Festival.

Recordings of Christopher's concert music include the album Music for Woodwind Choirs on the Centrediscs label, which features his Symphony for Flute Choir and Suite for Two Oboes and Two English Horns; his expansive hour-long Symphony No. 2 with the Northwest Sinfonia conducted by Clyde Mitchell; the present album of his Concerto for Oboe, Concerto for Oboe d'amore and Concerto for Bass Oboe; and his seven-hour long oratorio The Gospel According to Mark also conducted by Clyde Mitchell. Christopher's music is published by C.F. Peters, Robert Wendel Music, C. Alan Publications, and the Canadian Music Centre.