Nick's Bio
"The musicians are outstanding, particularly Nick Di Scala who played clarinet and saxophone."
--Elaine Elinson, review of 'Cabaret', 48 Hills
“invaluable saxophonist/clarinetist/flutist Nick Di Scala.”
-- Chad Jones, review of 'Silk Stockings' , Bay Area Backstage
"the wonderful musician Nick Di Scala who plays the flute, clarinet, and alto sax on various songs,
and manages to make it feel as if there is an entire orchestra onstage"
-- Civic Center
California born and raised Nick Di Scala, a professional freelancing Bay Area instrumentalist, has been playing all the members of the clarinet, saxophone, and flute families – including Indian and Chinese flutes, pan flute, recorders, and penny whistles – for more than 50 years. He teaches clarinet, saxophone and flute to students ranging in age from 8 to the late 70’s at Sunset Music and has been teaching there since the early 1980's. He also teaches virtual lessons. Nick received his Bachelor's of Music, Magna Cum Laude, in clarinet performance from San Francisco State University. He studied clarinet with Donald Carroll (San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera), flute with Paul Renzi (San Francisco Symphony, NBC Symphony), Jim Walker (San Francisco Opera), Victor Morosco (NY and LA studio and show musician), and Barbara Breeden (San Francisco Symphony Orchestra), and saxophone with Jim Matheson (San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera). He studied conducting with Louis Magor (San Francisco Symphony Chorus Director), Lazlo Varga (Principal cellist New York Philharmonic), and with David Ramadanoff (San Francisco Symphony Assistant Music Director). Nick is a member of the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP). American Federation of Musicians - Local 6, and former member of NAfME (formerly California Music Educators Association).
HIGHLIGHTS (see résumé for complete credits)
● Played with the Oakland Symphony, Sacramento Symphony, Napa Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, Monterey Symphony, California Symphony Pops, Santa Rosa Pops, West Bay Opera, West Edge Opera, U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West, the Don Ellis Alumni Orchestra, and Beach Blanket Babylon. Guest artists included Ray Charles, The Temptations, Kevin Spacey, Beatlemania, Manhattan Transfer, Johnny Mathis, Della Reese, and Isaac Hayes.● Regularly plays with TheatreWorks, 42nd St. Moon, San Francisco Playhouse, American Musical Theater of San Jose, Broadway by the Bay, Woodminster Summer Musicals, The Willows, other local regional theaters, as well as the Oakland Municipal Park Band and Golden Gate Park Band. ● Served as Music Director/conductor for ~ 20 theater productions in the Bay Area.● Orchestrated works by Mozart, Ravel, Gottschalk, Gershwin, Hamlisch, Chaminade, Schubert, Milhaud and Prokofiev. Arranged Leonard Bernstein's "I Can Cook, Too" for Tony nominee Christianne Noll as part of Bernstein's 90th birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops.● Worked as Arranger/Producer on an ongoing series of music therapy recordings by San Francisco Symphony violinist Daniel Kobialka. ● Reset and annotated the piano-vocal score of Stephen Sondheim’s "Anyone Can Whistle" for licensing agent Music Theatre International.
Don Ellis Project● Works with the estate of jazz pioneer Don Ellis: Initiated the Don Ellis Critical Editions (Editor, annotator, engraver) which publishes authoritative editions of Ellis’ compositions. Serves as Co-Leader/conductor of the Don Ellis Alumni Orchestra. Produced a solo jazz piano CD–’Multiple Personalities’–by internationally renowned pianist Milcho Leviev. Produced an archival recording–’Pieces of Eight’– for first time CD release of the Don Ellis Octet. Wrote liner notes for several CD re-releases, as well as new recordings of various tribute orchestras. Artistic advisor to his estate and to UCLA where his library is housed. Administrator for the Don Ellis Appreciation group on Facebook. Clinician to ensembles focusing on the music of Don Ellis. Leading international expert on the music of the Don Ellis Orchestra.