Nick is an active musician who has performed at Place des Arts for MUTEK Montreal, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, SXSW in Austin and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, opening for artists like Angel Olsen, Colin Stetson, Hauschka and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. His albums have received press coverage from Bandcamp Daily, CBC Q, Exclaim! and the Montreal Gazette. Aquarium Drunkard described him as a “dazzling electronic artist” and Constellation records as a “synth maven”.
As a solo musician, Nick Schofield releases ambient music via Backward Music label. His debut album Water Sine (2018) was an antidote to insomnia, his sophomore album Glass Gallery (2021) channeled inspiration from the architecture of the National Gallery of Canada, and his new release Ambient Ensemble (2024) features distant piano, vintage synths and faded orchestral arrangements resounding in spacious natural reverb.
Nick has been an artist-in-residence twice at the Banff Centre for the Arts. His artistic practice has received support from Canada Council for the Arts, SOCAN Foundation and FACTOR. His sound design has scored exhibitions at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and The Hole Gallery in New York City. He actively records and performs with his projects Saxsyndrum, Rêves sonores and Best Fern. Artists he has worked with include Devon Welsh, Eve Parker Finley, Ada Lea, L CON, Cedric Noel, Pony Girl, Orchidae, Ky Brooks and BUCKO.
Nick is the technical director with the SAW Centre in Ottawa and Debaser’s Pique festival. He previously worked for CBC, Red Bull Music Academy and POP Montreal festival. For ten years he hosted Underground Sounds on CKUT in Montreal, frequently voted Best Radio Host and Radio Show by CULT Montreal.
- ARTIST: Nick Schofield
- TITLE: Ambient Ensemble
- CAT#: BKWRD034
- FORMAT: Vinyl, CD, Digital
- RELEASE DATE: February 09, 2024
Distant piano, vintage synths and faded orchestral arrangements resounding in spacious natural reverb. Nick Schofield’s Ambient Ensemble sees the Canadian composer and synth maven expanding his solo practice with an ensemble, adding his signature ambient essence to contemporary-classical and electronic music.<br /> <br /> Where his previous two albums (Water Sine, Glass Gallery) were entirely solo endeavours and synth-focused, Ambient Ensemble invites gregarious group play centred around Schofield's piano improvisations. The compositions feature a chamber ensemble of grounding double bass and sliding fretless flourishes, warm violin and soothing vocals, with convivial accents of clarinet. Compelled by natural elements and intuitive composition, Ambient Ensemble is a refreshing assembly of acoustic works by Nick Schofield.
“hypnotic” – The Guardian
“tranquil and often playful” – Folk Radio UK
“lumineux” – Le Devoir
“these glittering electro-acoustic hybrids exude a sense of awe” – Aquarium Drunkard
“airy and luxurious, with a floating, dreamlike quality” – Exclaim!
“a dreamy meditation with shimmering strings that expand and contract like rhythmic breathwork” – Toronto Star
“uplfiting” – PhotogMusic
“all of the sonic textures Schofield employs here is to give a sense of ease and pleasantness” – Dominionated
