Composers > Nic Gotham
Nic Gotham
"I want to explore the continent between classical and popular music."
Nic Gotham
BIOGRAPHY
Composer and saxophonist Nic Gotham was born on September 27, 1959 near Southampton, England. He emigrated to Canada in 1963. He began studying classic guitar in Hamilton, Canada with Ron Colling and Gabrielle Kish. His chief instrument has been saxophone since 1972.
In 1986, he studied improvisation with Fred Stone, and keyboard improvisation and jazz harmony with Frank Falco in 19881990. He studied in the music program at York University (Toronto) from 19791982 and from 19901992, attended classes in composition with David Mott and 20th century music theory with James Tenney. He competed a bachelors degree in 1992. He continued studying privately with James Tenney (composition) and Trichy Sankaran (South Indian rhythm.)
By the beginning of the 1980s Nic Gotham had become involved with jazz, forming his own jazz-funk group, Gotham City. In 1988, he co-founded the 14-piece improvising chamber orchestra Hemispheres performing in Canada and the U.S. In 1992, he founded the saxophone quartet 40 fingers, which toured in Canada and the Baltic states.
In Toronto and in Riga, Latvia he participated in the program Composers in Electronic Residence teaching composition to high-school students via the internet. Nic Gotham has lived in Riga since 1998. He has worked as a teacher of saxophone, composition, harmony and improvisation at the Jelgava Music School and College, in the Riga Cathedral Choir Schools Contemporary Rhythmic Music program and in other educational projects and institutions.
He has been very active in the jazz community in Latvia, organising and teaching masterclasses during the jazz festivals Rhythms of Riga 2002, and Saulkrasti Jazz 2002, 2003 and 2004. He has performed at Liepaja Jazz Days (2002), in the concert series Jazz Spring (Riga, 2002), in the festival Jazzkaar (Tallinn, 1999), in the Lithuanian festival Birstonas Jazz (2002, 2004), the contemporary folk festival in Cesis Vendene 2003, and has been a jury member at the Brilliant Note saxophone competitions in Staicele (2000, 2001). He has also appeared at many Canadian jazz festivals since 1986 and at New Yorks Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors festival in 1990.
In his compositions as in his performance on saxophone, he combines a classical approach with jazz, composition and improvisation. Included in his list of compositions are works for various chamber ensembles, choir and chamber opera.
DISCOGRAPHY (CD)
Hermit Hand / Hemispheres Ensemble // Hemispheres 1994, Artifact Music, Art-008
Blue Quilt and Grace / 40 Fingers Ensemble // Blue Quilt 1995, Artifact Music, Art-013
Stone Harvest / 40 Fingers Ensemble // Live Fingers 1998, Artifact Music, Art-017
Chrysalis / Arraymusic Ensemble // 25 Miniatures 2001, Artifact Music, Art-025
The Fool by the Roadside / Fruits of the Earth / Album / Latvian Radio Choir, Riga Saxophone Quartet, conductor Kaspars Putniņš // Fruits of the Earth 2004, Radiator, Rad-01
Sapņu pīpe (Dream Pipe) / Latvian Republic Armed Forces Staff Orchestra, mens choir Gaudeamus, conductor Ivars Cinkuss // Prauliņš. Pūce. Gothams 2007, Gaudeamus, VKG004
LITERATURE
N. Gothems, Komponists grib nojaukt robežas mūzikā (A Composer Wants to Break the Boundaries of Music) / transcribed by M. Dombrovska/ // Jaunā Avīze, March 6th/12th, 1999 I. Lūsiņa, Balsis virs tradīcijām (Voices Over Traditions) // Diena, December 9th, 2000 I. Lūsiņa, Niks Gothams no Saksofonijas (Nic Gotham from Saxophonia) // Diena, February 20th, 2001 I. Lūsiņa, Saksofonos atklājas pasaule (The World is Revealed in Saxophones) // Diena, February 27th, 2001 B. Rubess, Jaunai mākslai vajag drosmi (New Art Needs Bravery) [About creative projects in Latvia: discussions with B. Rubess and composer and musician Nic Gotham (Canada)] / Banuta Rubess, Nic Gotham; transcribed by Inese Lūsiņa/ // December 23rd, 1999 M. Ķibers, Ar pasauli kabatā (With the World in his Pocket) // Jaunā Avīze, April 15th, 2000
Inga Žilinska, Baiba Jaunslaviete
Photo - Edmunds Mickus
© LMIC
