Clarinettist Nicole Canham graduated from the Australian National University Institute of the Arts with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Performance. An outstanding student, she augmented her studies with numerous elite national training programs including a season as Principal Clarinet of the Australian Youth Orchestra Camerata and workshops in contemporary music and improvisation. In 2000 and 2002, Nicole was the recipient of grants from artsACT and the Ian Potter Cultural Trust, and was the winner of the Australian Music Foundation’s Young Australian Musician Award, enabling her to undertake further study with Philippe Cuper, one of the world’s foremost clarinet soloists and pedagogues. She obtained her Prix de Perfectionnement from the Conservatoire Nationale de Region de Versailles in June 2003.

Nicole’s professional experience is extensive and varied, including orchestral work with Opera Australia, the Tasmanian and Canberra Symphony Orchestras and show work including seasons of Fiddler on the Roof and Jesus Christ Superstar. Excelling in the area of chamber music, she is a founding member of the internationally successful quartet, Clarity, with whom she has performed throughout Australia in the Canberra region, Darwin, Brisbane, Melbourne and abroad in the UK, France and Belgium. Clarity’s CDs Alive and This is Clarity receive regular airplay on ABC Classic fm and is available from ABC Shops. Clarity has performed at the Castlemaine State Festival, The Festival of Jazz and Roses, The National Multicultural Festival, the Darwin Youth Festival and at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Performances in 2006 include a concert series at BMW Edge, Melbourne, and tours throughout NSW.

Nicole has performed as a recitalist for the Namur Theatre, Belgium, Stopera and the National Gallery of Australia. In other chamber music combinations she has performed for ABC Classic fm’s Sunday Live program, the Canberra International Chamber Music Festival and the National Folk Festival. She has performed on recordings for The Anthology of Australian Music, ABC Classics and Tall Poppies and the Move label. Her solo cd, A Year in Paris, with pianist Anthony Smith is regularly heard on ABC classic fm, and was feature cd of the week for the Drive program. Nicole last played with Stopera as the clarinettist in Jane Eyre.