Biography
Nicola Gomirato was born in Venice, Italy in 1963. At an early age, he demonstrated a natural musical talent and at the age of nine, he began taking private piano lessons.
In the first year of studying piano, he reached such a high level of technique that he was able to enroll in the local music school. Additionally, he attended junior secondary school courses within the Conservatoire, as well as complementary courses about instruments, theory and solfeggio, harmony, history of music, literature and science.
Nicola’s teachers consistently noted his excellent musical skills and suggested he not only work as an instrument player, but as a conductor. With his sights set on this new option, he decided to expand his knowledge of orchestral instruments and began taking French horn and violin lessons.
Well before Nicola finished his academic studies, he started working both as a concert player and teacher. He performed several concerts in Venice and the surrounding area, and taught children at the Rudolf Steiner School in the primary and junior levels.
As a horn player, he was asked by the Teatro La Fenice to perform a series of concerts, including the cycle of Mahler’s symphonies. In the same period, he substituted for his own French horn teacher and taught beginner classes.
In 1983, he was awarded his French horn diploma, and began his career as a music education teacher in state schools and as an instrument teacher in private schools. At the same time, he continued performing concerts and taking part in a variety or orchestras and chamber music groups in major Italian and European cities.
Since then, Nicola has actively collaborated with youth orchestras as a horn-player and conductor, composed pieces specifically aimed at young musicians and formulated new teaching methods.
He worked as a teacher and director at the Music Academy of Treviso in Italy, taught primary and junior levels at the Leonardo da Vinci Institute in Switzerland and played horn in chamber music groups in Switzerland and Milan.
In 2000, he began work in music theatre, and began writing music for fairy tales.
In 2005, he formed a new orchestra called “Orchestra Rondinella,” and worked with the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra in Muscate.
Today, Nicola lives with his family in Orillia, Ontario. He’s a musician, educator, regular performer and creator of the HornGlobetrotter Music House.
PERFORMANCE
1982 — He conducted music by Vivaldi, Bach and Handel with the Baroque Orchestra formed by Conservatory’s students. As a hornist, he joined the European Chamber Orchestra and performed with them in Brussels.
1983 — Began his soloist career, performing horn concertos by Mozart and Strauss. Played with the Orchestra of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice for the cycle of Mahler symphonies conducted by Maestro Inbal.
1985 — Founded the Venezia Hornquartett, performing his own compositions at several concerts.
1986 — Founded the Accademia Serenissima orchestral group in Venice. Conducted performances from the Baroque and Classicist periods, and also performed as soloist.
1987-1991 — Joined as horn player for the Arts Instrumentalis quintet in Florence. Performed a large number of concerts in the regions of Tuscany, Liguria and Veneto.
1989-1990 — Joined the Italian Opera Orchestra and took part in several opera tours.
1991 — Started a choir in Mestre (Venice), performing a repertoire of sacred music and his own compositions. Also worked as a horn soloist.
1995 — Moved to Milan and dedicated himself to conducting orchestras with youth organizations, dealing with both education and performance.
1995 — Became conductor of the Choir of Montecarasso, Choir of Chiasso and Mixed Choir of Berne in Switzerland. As horn player, he played solo concerts with local instrumental groups.
1995 — Conducted symphonic choral music in Milan and Locarno with the German Youth Orchestra and the Rho Polyphonic Choir. Conducted the first symphonic choral concert in the Aula Magna of Università Bocconi in Milan with the German Youth Orchestra.
1995 — In New York, he perfected his teaching technique and defined his own music teaching method, which he was able to try out in Peekskill and Tarrytown music schools. Held chamber music concerts as horn-player in the following formations: horn and piano, horn and harp, voice and piano and woodwind sextet.
1996-1998 — Directed his musical activity towards education, focusing on instrumental and orchestral teaching, as well as composing musical works. Worked with the Music Academy in Treviso, where he was director and conductor of the Young Boys Orchestra (a children’s orchestra for players aged 3 to 14), I Piccoli cantori di San Martino (a treble chorus) and the mixed Choir of the Academy. Held concerts all over the Veneto region as conductor and solo horn-player, performing pieces he composed.
1999-2001 — Worked in the United Kingdom with chamber music groups and as first horn in orchestras in London and Edinburgh.
2002-2004 — At the same time as chamber music playing, he focused on composing pieces for the horn and brass instruments.
2005-2006 — Performed a concert season for young and families in Milan with the Rondinella Orchestra. Conducted music from the classical repertoire and his own compositions.
2005- He worked in Oman for the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra in the city of Muscat.
2007 — Performed AsperMusic, a musical-theater show where, as player and actor, he brought awareness of Asperger syndrome to parents and educators.
COMPOSITIONS
Educational compositions for instruments:
- Easy duets for violin, cello, piano, flute
- Kits for guitar
- Kits for clarinet
- Kits for trumpet
- Sonatinas for piano
- Sonatinas for violin
- Sonatinas for cello
- Sonatinas for trumpet
- Sonatinas for oboe
- Sonatinas for flute
- Sonatinas for clarinet
- Sonatinas for bassoon
- Sonatinas for horn
- Easy concertos for piano
- Easy concerto for French horn
- Easy concerto bassoon
- Easy concerto oboe
- Easy concerto flute – all with orchestra
Educational compositions for choirs:
- Six solo voice pieces for treble voice choir
- Four pieces for two voices, for treble voice choir
- "Let’s Sing in Chorus" – choral compositions for mixed four-part choir
- "In the land of Music" for treble voices and children’s orchestra
Compositions for various instruments:
- 21 piano preludes
- Two nocturnes for French horn and orchestra
- Quartets for four horns
- Concertino for Timpani and orchestra
- Concerto for flute, viola and orchestra
- Bassoon Concerto
- Oboe Concerto
- Flute Concerto
- "Images" for horn and harp
Miscellaneous compositions:
- 10 musical fables (written together with Caterina Zanivan) for narrator and small orchestral group