Nikki Iles first collaborated with the NDR Bigband in 2020 as part of its podium for composers and arrangers. In 2023, she was appointed as the ensemble's Composer in Residence, leading to the joint album Face to Face which was nominated for the German Jazz Award in 2024.

Nikki will now take up the position of Principal Conductor for an initial period of two years, succeeding Geir Lysne. For her first performances in the new role, Nikki will lead the Bigband in Hannover's NDR Konzerthaus and Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie this September, showcasing her new work The Shadow of a Dream - Journeys through a Strange World, composed especially for the NDR Bigband.

'The NDR Bigband is truly an ensemble for our times and they embrace this role with such passion, innovation and a wealth of experience. This is matched by a deep commitment from the organisation that allows us to focus on the music and to keep it at the heart of everything we do... It goes without saying that I have the greatest respect for every member of the band and really look forward to a journey full of discovery and to making some fantastic music together.'

Nikki Iles

Nikki is a major presence in the British jazz world and has performed with the Julian Argüelles Octet, the Kenny Wheeler Big Band, the Anglo Canadian Project and The Printmakers with Norma Winstone and Mike Walker. As a composer she has received commissions from the Creative Jazz Orchestra, New Perspectives, the London Sinfonietta and Tim Garland’s Northern Underground Band. Nikki has also developed a career as a widely respected teacher, which has been recognised through nominations at the 2007, 2009 and 2018 Parliamentary Jazz Awards for Services to Jazz Education.

Nikki has nurtured generations of jazz students at the Academy for over 20 years, in her roles as Professor of Jazz Piano, ensemble leader, director of the Academy Jazz Orchestra and module leader of the Jazz Supporting Studies class. In her time here she has inspired both pianists and instrumentalists, from Gwilym Simcock to Emma Rawicz.

The Academy sends its warmest congratulations to Nikki on this appointment.