Assistant Professor
BMusEd (Acadia); MMus (Calgary); DPPM (Conservatoire de Bordeaux); DMA, Certificate in Music Theory Pedagogy (UNC-Greensboro)
Saxophonist and educator Nicole Strum is a multifaceted musician: she is equally at home interpreting new works and collaborating with composers, teaching courses in music theory and aural skills, directing ensembles and facilitating chamber music workshops, and coaching woodwind players. As a performer, she has been praised for her expressive voice and the intensity of her interpretations; as a studio teacher, her commitment to guiding students to discover their unique musical identity is noted by her colleagues.
Nicole is a member of two duos focused on contemporary music: with flautist Liesel Deppe she formed Feldsperling Duo and premiered commissioned works at Arrayspace in Toronto and on the Canadian East Coast. Following their debut at Halifax's Open Waters New Music Festival, the Strum-De Borba duo (with saxophonist Tristan De Borba) capped a 2019 mini-series of performances with a faculty residency at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance for its inaugural Saxophone Academy.
Other performance highlights include appearances at the North American Saxophone Alliance's Regional and Biennial conferences, the World Saxophone Congress, the Society for Composers Inc. Region 10 Conference, the UNCG New Music Festival, Mount Allison University's Recital Series, the Transitio_MX Festival Internacional de Artes Electrónicas in Mexico City, and as concerto soloist with the UPEI Wind Symphony.
Nicole is currently Assistant Professor at the University of Prince Edward Island where she teaches music theory and applied saxophone and assists with the UPEI Wind Symphony. In 2022 she was Visiting Assistant Professor of Single Reeds and Conducting at Mount Allison University and held the position of Woodwind Specialist for Halifax Regional Arts in Nova Scotia the year prior. She adjudicates at local and national music festivals, leads workshops and clinics, and directs UPEI Summer Studios, a week-long chamber music workshop for advanced young musicians.
Nicole holds a performance diploma from the Bordeaux Conservatory, where she studied with renowned French saxophonist Marie-Bernadette Charrier, and a DMA and Certificate in Music Theory Pedagogy from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.