North Downs Music Studio

Nicholas was born in 1974 in Kent, and was educated at Chatham House Grammar School Nick Downs - Director, North Downs Music Studio Nick Downs – Director, North Downs Music Studio for Boys in Ramsgate. By the time he left school, he was proficient in playing bassoon, recorder, piano, viola, drums and percussion, having played for the Kent Youth Wind Orchestra & Kent County Youth Orchestra on bassoon & contrabassoon, touring with the former in 1990 to Singapore. At Trinity College of Music, he studied bassoon with Stephen Maw and piano with Philip Coleman, leading to a GTCL qualification at 2:1 classification. He continued at Trinity for a further year, on the Postgraduate Performance course, concentrating on the bassoon. After leaving college, Nicholas began working as a musician with Kent County Youth Service, based at 3D Studios in Northfleet, where he worked with young people in musical fields, including organising & running a Battle of the Bands competition, junk orchestra, monthly discos, & setting up an in-centre radio station. He also instigated & tutored on the “East Meets West” music project in partnership with Ranjit Shokar of Kent Music School, aimed at juxtaposing the cultural differences of western wind instruments with eastern percussion.