Dr. Sam Nichols is a renowned composer, musician, and educator. He has written works for a variety of ensembles and organizations including the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University, the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Earplay, the Empyrean Ensemble, and the Composers Conference at Wellesley College. Dr. Nichols has also won numerous awards for his compositions including the 2011 Lee Ettelson Composer’s Award for his string quartet, Refuge, as well as 3rd prize in the 2010 Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition.

Born in rural Maine, Dr. Nichols studied at Vassar College and Brandeis University, where he received his PhD in 2006. He has studied with many renowned teachers including Ross Bauer, Eric Chasalow, Annea Lockwood, David Rakowski, Richard Wilson, and Yehudi Wyner, Marty Boykan, and Terry Champlin. Since 2002, Dr. Nichols has taught at the University of California Davis, where he currently serves as the chair of the music department. He works as a professor of teaching, and also teaches music theory, electronic music, and composition.