By way of a full bright scholarship offered by New England Conservatory, pianist Nicola moved from Milan, Italy to the States where he studied composition and orchestral conducting. 
 He spent 4 years studying under the wings of various conductors and composers (including Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, Lee Hyla, John Adams, Joe Maneri) before finally choosing to return to Europe and consecrating himself to composition. 
 He has worked with directors such as Academy Award Nominee Cristina Comencini, Cannes Film Festival winner Carlos Saura and Valeria Golino, Guido Chiesa, Michele Rho, Laura Morante, Fausto Paravidino, Ago Panini, Emma Luchini and Alessandro Baricco. As a pianist Nicola has accompanied artists such as Madonna, Sting and Rufus Wainwright, and shared the stage with classical greats such as Katia and Marielle Labèque and violin soloist Viktoria Mullova. 
 In 2012 he received a Grammy Nomination for his orchestral arrangement of Sting’s ‘Moon Over Bourbon Street’. Alongside film scoring, Nicola has also produced and collaborated with various pop artists including Mirwais, Lester Bowie, Marc Collin, Raphael Gualazzi, Nadeah, Meg and Caparezza. He also teaches film scoring bi-annually at Alessandro Baricco’s Holden School in Torino, Italy and currently resides in Paris