Violist Nicholaus Yee completed his doctoral studies at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, where he was the teaching assistant to Dr. Pamela Goldsmith and Professor Donald McInnes, and attended as a full fellowship recipient. In addition to his viola studies, he is trained as an instrumental conductor, early music specialist, and music educator, topics he minored in as part of the rigorous and multi-faceted program at USC. An avid chamber musician, he was honored to perform with the renowned violinist Midori Goto shortly after her faculty appointment at USC. Nick has been heard in broadcast on KUSC 91.5 both in chamber and orchestral music performances.
Nick has performed with such musical legends as Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby Mcferrin, Lynn Harrell, Doc Severinsen, Gary Graffmann, and David Shifrin. Conductors he has worked with include Carl St. Clair, John Williams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Sergiu Commissiona, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, and Lucinda Carver. Nick has been a member of the Redlands Symphony Orchestra since 2013.
As principal viola of Del Gesu Strings, Nick toured South America in 2009 and 2010, playing concerts in Panama, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Chile. Locally, he has collaborated with various musicians presenting chamber music concerts, and joined the Chamber Players of Los Angeles in 2011.
A dedicated educator, Nick has taught privately for over 30 years and in various capacities at public schools and youth orchestras since 1995. In 2018, he was appointed Coordinator of the Strings & Orchestra program at the Orange County School of the Arts. In addition to his administrative duties, he teaches chamber music and conducts the String Orchestra. His teaching philosophy centers on the love of music, fostering achievement through discipline and methodical practise, and he encourages a close partnership in teaching and learning music with his students. From 2008 to 2011, he was a conductor for the Irvine Young Concert Artists orchestra. Prior to his appointment at OCSA, he served as viola coach for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) program at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts from 2015.
Music Department
School of the Arts