Nicola (Nicki) Payne, Violin and Viola
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:
Britt Festival Orchestra, Jackonsville, OR June 15 to July 4, 2026
Sept 4, 2026 S. Jackson Sym. No. 2 Mosesian Center for the Arts
Oct 3, 2026 Lexington Symphony Brahms Sym No. 2 - Cary Hall
Oct 10, 2026 Vista Philharmonic Copland Sym No. 3
Nov 7, 2026 Lexington Symphony Strauss Till Eulenspiegel; Debussy La Mer
Nov 14, 2026 Vista Philharmonic Schubert Unfinished; Beethoven Sym No. 8
Dec 10-13, 2026 Vista Philharmonic Christmas Magic
Jan 27-28, 2027 Lexington Symphony Orchestrating Kids Through Classics
Feb 8, 2027 Vista Phil - Hindemith Symph Metamorphisis, Brahms Sym. No 2
Mar 6, 2027 Vista Phil - Debussy La Mer; Shostakovich Sym No. 1
Mar 13, 2027 Lexington Symphony Sibelius Violin Conc; Tchaik Sym No. 5
Apr 3, 2027 Vista Philharmonic "Everybody's Favorites"
April 10, 2027 Lexington Symphony Debussy; Copland Rodeo
May 8, 2027 Vista Philharmonic - Mahler Symphony No. 2
Vista Philharmonic Orchestra 2026-2027 Season
Lexington Symphony 2026-2027 Season
RECENT PERFORMANCES: 2025-2026 SEASON
Lexington Symphony "Celebrating Coexistence" Feb 14, 2026
Bach Beethoven and Brahms Society: United Parish Brookline, Mar 1, 2026
Vista Philharmonic Orchestra - Ravel Revealed - Mar 7, 2026
Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra - Classics 6 - March 13 and 14, 2026
Lexington Symphony "Pushing the Limits" Mar 28, 2026
Old North Festival Chorus Concert - March 29, 2026
Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, "Riding Along" April 11, 2026
Lexington Symphony "Evening with Shakespeare" April 25, 2026
Newburyport Choral Society, "Elijah" May 3, 2026
Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler 3, May 9, 2026Vista Philharmonic Orchestra "Transitions and Variations" Feb 7, 2026
Lexington Symphony OKTC Jan 21 and 22, 2026
Vista Philharmonic Christmas Magic Dec 11-13, 2025
Lexington Symphony: March 15, 2025
Old North Church Marblehead Holiday Concert, Dec 6 and 7, 2025
Beethoven Septet Lexington Community Center, Nov. 26, 2025
Heritage Chorale Fall Concert November 23 2025
Bach Beethoven and Brahms: November 16, 2025
Vista Philharmonic Orchestra "Composed Connections, Nov 15, 2025
Lexington Symphony: Passionate Dialogues, Oct. 25, 2025
Back Bay Chorale Chorale at 50 Old South Church Boston Oct 18 2025
Vista Philharmonic: Orchestra Opening Night Oct 11, 2025
Bach Beethoven and Brahms: Sept 28, 2025
Lexington Symphony Classics - Exotic Nights Sept 27, 2025
Recording: Jackson Symphony "For All and None" Sept, 2025
NICKI'S RESUME:
Nicola Payne - violin and viola
978-460-7778 | [email protected]
15 Thoreau Way Sudbury, MA 01776
ORCHESTRAL EXPERIENCE
Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, Groton, MA 2012 – present
Lexington Symphony, Lexington, MA (violin and viola) 2012 – present
Rhode Island Philharmonic, Providence, RI – substitute 2012 – present
Runner up in 2012 violin audition
Bach, Beethoven, & Brahms Society - substitute 2021 – present
Heritage Chorale 2022 – present
Back Bay Chorale 2025 - present
Newburyport Choral Society 2018 – present
Kansas City Symphony – first call substitute 2005 – 2010
Kansas City Chamber Orchestra – substitute 2007 – 2010
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra – acting Principal Second 2004 – 2005
Runner up in audition for permanent position
Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife – Tenerife, Spain 1998 – 2004
Tenured Section Violin
Owensboro Symphony Orchestra – Concertmaster 1996 – 1997
Principal Second Violin 1995 – 1996
Evansville Philharmonic 4th chair 1st violins 1995 – 1997
New World Symphony - fellow 1992 – 1995
Rotating Assistant Concertmaster/Principal Second Violin
SUMMER FESTIVALS
Britt Festival Orchestra, Jacksonville OR – Principal Second Violin 2003 - present
First Violin section 1995 - 2003
Solti Orchestral Project Carnegie Hall Summer 1994
Spoleto Music Festival Charleston, SC Summer 1994
CHAMBER MUSIC
Lexington Symphony Dana Home Chamber Music Series April and Nov 2025
Britt Music and Arts Festival Chamber Music/Education Concerts Feb 2024 and Jan 2025
Thoreau Way Chamber Music Collective Benefit Concerts 2017 – present
EDUCATION
Master of Music Jacobs School of Music Indiana University Bloomington
Bachelor of Music Eastman School of Music
Member in good standing:
Boston Musicians Association
Providence Federation of Musicians
BIO
Nicola Payne (Nicki) is a Boston-based freelance violinist and violist, as well as a passionate instructor with over 25 years of teaching experience. Originally from Sudbury, Massachusetts, she earned a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music, and a Master of Music at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University. Her teachers include Marylou Speaker Churchill, Daniel Stepner, Lynn Blakeslee, and Mauricio Fuks. She currently performs as a member of the Lexington Symphony (violin and viola) and Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, also performing with Rhode Island Philharmonic, Bach Beethoven and Brahms Society, Heritage Chorale, Newburyport Choral Society, and other ensembles. Nicki has been Principal Second Violin of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR since 2003.
Nicola began her career as a fellow of the New World Symphony training orchestra in Miami Beach, FL, under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas. During a 3-year fellowship, she served as rotating Principal Second Violin and Assistant Concertmaster, participating in multiple recording projects as well as tours to Europe, Israel, and South America. During her Masters Program at IU, she served as Principal Second and then Concertmaster of the Owensboro Symphony (Kentucky), was 4th chair of the Evansville Philharmonic (Indiana), Principal Second of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and Concertmaster of the New Music Ensemble at Indiana University.
Relocating to Spain in 1998, Nicola was a tenured member of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife (Spain) violin section for six seasons. During this time, she performed on an entire Ring Cycle of Richard Wagner in addition to many other operas, toured Spain extensively, and was involved in multiple recording projects. She also performed with the Orquesta Sinfonica de La Coruña, the La Laguna Chamber Orchestra, the Camarata de Tenerife, and the Orquesta d'Amici in which she served as concertmaster and performed Vivaldi's Four Seasons as soloist. Upon returning to the United States in 2004, Nicki served as Principal Second Violin in the Louisiana Philharmonic and was runner-up for that position in a national audition. Though offered a section position in the LPO, Hurricane Katrina prompted an abrupt move to Kansas City, where Nicki was a regular substitute player in the Kansas City Symphony, also appearing with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra.
Nicki has also performed in the Spoleto Music Festival and the Solti Orchestra Project with residency in Carnegie Hall. She has toured to Brazil, Argentina, Monaco, Germany, and Israel, performing in Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Kennedy Center, Boston Symphony Hall, and Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. In addition to Michael Tilson Thomas, she has worked with world-class conductors including Sir Georg Solti, James DePreist, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Christoff Eschenbach, and Larry Rachleff. She has been on stage with renowned artists including Hilary Hahn, Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Augustin Hadelich, James Ehnes, Benjamin Beilmann, Anne Akiko Meyers, Anton Nel, Tessa Lark, Joshua Roman, Andre Watts, Yuja Wang, Sarah Chang, and Mischa Maisky.
Nicki discovered her passion for teaching as an Assistant Instructor of Violin at Indiana University. In Tenerife, she joined the faculty of the Academia de la Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife, teaching advanced students. During her year in New Orleans, she helped launch a new middle school string program in Metairie, LA. Upon moving to Boston, she joined the string faculty of the Indian Hill Music School (now Groton Hill Music), and taught violin and viola in the Sudbury Public Schools Private Lesson Program and LSRHS Community Ed program for over 12 years before devoting herself to teaching in her home studio only. In July of 2025, she was a coach in the Rivers Conservatory Summer Music Program, where she will once again be coaching chamber music and teaching private lessons in 2026.
In addition to teaching, practicing and performing, Nicki derives great joy from hiking, skiing, gardening, learning languages (fluent in Spanish), traveling and hanging out with husband Robb Aistrup and their triplet sons, Halden, Ian, and Nathaniel. Also accomplished string players, all three of her sons are pursuing music careers. Nate (cellist) and Ian (violist) graduated from Boston University College of Fine Arts in 2026, while Halden is studying double bass at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In addition to her music degrees, Nicki also has a BA in Biology and a BS in Nursing.
|
|