James Nickel
Brass Specialist

James Nickel has been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra since 2008, when he joined as Third Horn. He currently serves as Acting Associate Principal Horn. Previously, he held positions as Assistant Principal Horn with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Associate Principal Horn with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Alongside his work with the National Symphony, James is an active chamber musician in the D.C. area, performing with the 21st Century Consort and the Smithsonian Chamber Players, and collaborating with ensembles for concerts on the Millennium Stage, Music from Mount Vernon, and at the Alden Theater.

Beyond his orchestral career, James has been a frequent guest at music festivals and educational programs, including the Interlochen Arts Camp Summer Horn Intensive, the Kennedy Center’s Summer Music Institute, and the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa. He has also presented masterclasses at Rice University, Peabody Conservatory, Southern Methodist University, UNC Greensboro, and internationally in Mexico City, São Paulo, and Trinidad.

James has maintained a large private studio of high school horn students in Northern Virginia and has taught on the faculties of George Mason University, Catholic University, and Baylor University. His high school students have gone on to attend top conservatories including Juilliard, the New England Conservatory, Rice, and Northwestern, with many now performing in professional orchestras across North America, Europe, and New Zealand.

He is deeply committed to supporting young musicians in the Washington, D.C. area. James mentors through the Washington Musical Pathways Initiative and the Kennedy Center’s Youth Fellowship Program, and has worked closely with horn students at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia.

Believing strongly in music as a community resource, James has partnered with local horn clubs to bring holiday performances into hospitals, and during the pandemic he organized neighborhood “driveway concerts” that provided live music for his community and meaningful opportunities for students and colleagues. He looks forward to bringing this same commitment to artistry, teaching, and community to his work with the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras.