Matthew Nicholl Named Associate Vice President of Global Initiatives

Matthew Nicholl has been named associate vice president of global initiatives at Berklee as of September 1. Nicholl is an acclaimed educator, author, musician, composer, and arranger whose credits range from presidential campaigns to film scores and television shows. He has performed and taught on several continents including Europe, Asia, South America, and North America. 

Nicholl brings more than 35 years of experience as a composer and arranger, and more than 25 years as an educator to the job, serving as chair of the Contemporary Writing and Production Department since 2002 and executive director of the Berklee Mediterranean Music Institute (MMI) since 2013. Nicholl will continue to serve as executive director of the MMI in addition to his new role.

As associate vice president of global initiatives, Nicholl will maintain and grow the college’s presence as a global entity by providing continued coordination and support for global outreach for the future. Nicholl will continue to support students from across the globe with access to a Berklee education through a variety of options, such as Berklee India Exchange, Berklee Latino, Berklee on the Road programs, and the Berklee International Network (BIN). Under Nicholl’s leadership, global initiatives will prioritize helping students find their own individual pathways to the college from different parts of the world.

Nicholl’s composition credits include film scores for National Geographic Society, PBS, NASA and Blue Cross/Blue Shied; scores for presidential, senate, congressional, and mayoral campaigns for candidates Bob Dole, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Marion Barry, and many others; and featured compositions in television shows The Game and One Live to Live. His composition and arrangement credits include annual promotional campaigns for PBS from 1986-1990 and network ID/promotional packages for KHOU-TV/Radio (Houston), KXAS-TV/Radio (Dallas), and WNUV (Baltimore). He has arranged and conducted live shows featuring Rosa Passos, Eva Ayllón, Issac Delgado, Luis Enrique, Larry Harlow, Jorge Drexler, Alejandro Sanz, Ivan Lins, Guinga, and Susanna Baca. Nicholl has also published several books on producing and arranging contemporary music and has released three albums.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Nicholl studied at the University of North Texas, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. He plays a variety of instruments, including piano, and has performed in several bands, such as the Otherguys and Con Clave. Nicholl has also recorded albums with the Dallas Brass, Eliot Wadopian, and Michael Farquharson.