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Director of Orchestras

Nikolas Caoile is a sought-after conductor, pianist and presenter. Concurrently serving as Director of Orchestras at Central Washington University, Music Director of the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Conductor of the Salem Chamber Orchestra, Caoile’s musical leadership reaches academic, community and professional arenas. Caoile has also guest conducted many other orchestras including: The Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, Rainier Symphony, Yakima Symphony, Gig Harbor Symphony, and the Olympia Symphony. A passionate believer in music education for all ages, Caoile has led numerous educational and community engagement concerts. Since 2009, Caoile has been a featured presenter as part of the Seattle Symphony Talk Music series. Since 2010, Caoile has collaborated with several popular rock groups including Queensrÿche, John Popper, Heart, Yes, and Tracy Bonham as the Music Director for Synergia Northwest – an annual event benefiting music education in Washington State. Future engagements include appearances with the Northwest Mahler Festival, where he will lead Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 (July 2012). Caoile has also been selected to participate at the Cabrillo Festival for Contemporary Music where he will work with conducting pedagogues, Marin Alsop and Gustav Meier (August 2012). Caoile is a popular guest conductor and clinician with youth orchestras, collegiate ensembles, and high school honor orchestras throughout the Northwest. Caoile holds degrees from the University of Michigan, University of Washington, and Willamette University. His principal teachers are Kenneth Kiesler, Gustav Meier, and Peter Erös.

Also an accomplished pianist, Caoile is a frequent collaborative recitalist performing throughout the Northwest. He has performed with Third Angle New Music Ensemble, the Yakima Seasons Festival, Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, Woods House Conservatory of Music, and is currently a faculty member of the Kairos Chamber Music Lyceum, Chamber Music Madness, and the Icicle Creek Summer Symphony. This season, Caoile will collaborate with violinist Denise Dillenbeck on a recital of works featuring Corigliano, Messiaen, and Stravinsky.

Caoile also thrives in the opera repertoire. He has served on the music staff of the Aspen Opera Theater Center as a Coach Accompanist Fellow including: Rigoletto, The Cunning Little Vixen, Die Entführung auf dem Serail, The Turn of the Screw, and Giasone. He has served as an accompanist with the Seattle Opera assisting in productions of Eugene Onegin and Norma and has worked with the Seattle Opera Young Artists on productions of Gianni schicchi and Eugene Onegin, He was a coach pianist and chorus master for the Bel Canto Vocal Institute in Portland, Oregon where he prepared L’elisir d’amore and Fidelio. He was harpsichordist in performances of L’incoronazione di Poppea, Giasone, and Calisto. Caoile has also served as conductor many main-stage productions. He has led performances of Così fan Tutte, Il Matrimonio Segretto, Gianni Schicchi, The Bartered Bride, and Dido and Aeneas.  He assisted Martin Katz in the University of Michigan production of Hänsel and Gretel. His teachers include Martin Katz, Phil Kelsey, David McDade, and Kenneth Merrill.

Nikolas Caoile is a native of Portland, OR and now resides in Ellensburg, WA with his wife, mezzo-soprano, Melissa Schiel and their beautiful son, Kieran.

Nikolas Caoile has been at CWU since 2006.

Degrees:
University of Michigan
DMA Orchestral Conducting, 2006
University of Washington
MM Orchestral Conducting, 2003
Willamete University
BM Composition - 2000

Contact Dr. Caoile
caoilen@cwu.edu