Nicholas Psihountas most recently completed serving as the Adjunct Professor of Tuba, Euphonium, and Trombone at Methodist University for 5 years. During which he also served as acting principal for the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra for 2 years. Before Methodist, he served as a Co-Instructor for the Tuba & Euphonium studio at University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) where he both taught and performed regularly alongside Dr. Mark Norman for two years. Most recently, Nicholas won the position of Principal Tuba with the Durham Symphony Orchestra in 2024.
During his graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM), Nicholas was the winner of the Spring Concerto Competition where he performed Richard Strauss’s Horn Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat major, Opus 11 with the University. He was also a finalist in the UNCSA concerto competition where he played Concerto for Bass Tuba by Ralph Vaughan Williams. During his undergraduate studies Nicholas not only studied tuba performance, but also played bass trombone in Bradley Palmer’s internationally renowned Trombone Choir at Columbus State University (CSU). In Nicholas’s third year, he was a finalist for the Southeast Regional Tuba & Euphonium Conference’s Mock Military Competition.
Nicholas currently freelances as a teacher, musician, and audio engineer throughout the greater Piedmont Triad Area in North Carolina. During his time in North Carolina, he has been fortunate to share the stage with renowned musicians such as Carol Jantsch, the Boston Brass quintet, and even Andrea Bocelli. Nicholas has extensive performance experience on trombone, euphonium, and tuba in both large ensembles and chamber settings.
As a musician, he has performed with a variety of ensembles including the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Salisbury Symphony, Union Symphony Orchestra, The American Music Ensemble, Giannini Brass, Wilmington Symphony Orchestra, Piedmont Wind Symphony, and North Carolina Brass Band. He actively plays with the Giannini Brass Quintet in their effort to spread music to elementary schools across the Triad Area. Nicholas serves as a current member for The American Music Ensemble, a ten-piece ensemble dedicated to performing music by Great American composers of the 19th and 20th Century. While he no longer actively plays with the group, he was a member of UNCSA’s Chrysalis Brass Quintet program for three ½ years.
Since moving to Winston-Salem in 2017, Nicholas has immersed himself as a low brass instructor in various programs including The North Carolina Youth Brass Band, Charlotte Music School, Upbeat Music Company, Community Music School of UNCSA, Music and Arts – Winston-Salem, and most public schools in the area. Many of his students have found success in auditioning for the North Carolina All-State Band, sometimes even placing first chair. A few of his students have even continued to pursue degrees in music.
Having graduated UNCSA with a Professional Artist Certificate, he remains actively involved with his Alma Mater in both performance and recording. Nicholas also holds a Master’s of Music from UWM and a Bachelor’s in music performance from CSU.