Nick Mikhail is a trumpet player, composer, and educator from North Jersey.

In the wake of major tech companies subjugating the value of humanity and human creations by pushing artificial intelligence into more and more spaces within our lives, Nick is a firm proponent of the performance of live music. Few mediums are more intimate examples of the connection between the artist and the audience than improvised music, and Nick strives to be vulnerable and open in every individual performance he gives. He hopes to connect with more people in a uniquely personal way through his contribution to his own and others’ music.

Nick is currently pursuing a degree in Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in New Jersey. Since starting college, Nick has studied privately with such lauded improvisers as Jeremy Pelt, Adam O’Farrill, and Johnathan Blake; in 2025 he participated in the prestigious Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead residency at the Kennedy Center under the direction of Jason Moran. A dedicated performer, composer, and bandleader, Nick has already established himself as a fixture on the New York scene, having led his quartet at venues like Close-Up and Nublu, as well as at the Montclair Jazz Festival in New Jersey. He has also worked as a sideman with Domo Branch “Generations” Big Band at Dizzy’s Club and with Jared Spears’s “Electric Band”.

In 2026, Nick was considered an Honorable Mention for the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award for his composition “154 Orchard Street.” Nick’s music is composed in batches with specific thematic intention, the most recent of which is a reflection on the history of queerness and LGBTQ rights in modern America.

Nick is also a passionate teacher who has worked with a wide range of age groups. He maintains a private studio with students as young as nine and as old as seventeen. In lessons, Nick has covered topics like trumpet technique, jazz improvisation, playing classical and pit orchestra parts, and composition. He’s also worked with young musicians in group settings through teaching assisting at JAZZ HOUSE KiDS in Montclair. Nick believes in the immense importance of music education in a time where schools districts and federal programs nationwide are cutting funding to arts education. The tradition of jazz demands that musicians pass down their expertise to the younger generations, and Nick is extremely grateful for the opportunity to help anyone succeed during their musical journey.