NICK PASCUCCI - CELLO

From Oyster Bay, NY, Nicholas Pascucci began playing cello at age 6. He studied with André Emelianoff at Juilliard Pre-College and made his solo debut at age 15 with the Island Symphony Orchestra. Nicholas graduated from Harvard College, where he received a B.A. in Economics with a secondary in Music and was a member of the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra. He studied with Amit Peled at the Peabody Institute and earned his Master of Music in Cello Performance and a Graduate Performance Diploma. At Peabody, he was a member of the Conductor’s Quintet and principal cellist of the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, Peabody Concert Orchestra, and Peabody Opera Theater. 

Nicholas is currently the principal cellist of both the West Texas Symphony and the Amarillo Symphony. He is also the cellist in the Permian Basin String Quartet that performs in Midland, TX. In the past, Nicholas has been principal cello for the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and the Washington Opera Society in D.C. He also played cello in the Mount Vernon Virtuosi in Baltimore, MD and the New Orchestra of Washington, and was a substitute cellist in both the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra and the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. 

In the summer, Nicholas is the assistant principal cellist of the New American Sinfonietta at the Hamptons Festival of Music. He is also a substitute cellist in the Lancaster Festival Orchestra that performs in Lancaster, Ohio. As a student, he previously attended summer festivals including the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and School, and Puerto Piano and Strings. 

Nicholas is highly devoted to philanthropy and has worked with numerous charity organizations. In 2023, he organized and performed a recital for Catholic Relief Services that raised over $22,000 for countries in need of disaster relief. Last year, he gave a recital that raised approximately $21,000 for the North Shore Soup Kitchen, a charity that provides meals for the homeless in Glen Cove, NY, a community near his hometown. Nicholas currently plays an English cello made by Thomas Kennedy ca. 1820.