Carmen Nicholson is a bilingual musician based in Montreal with a passion for pedagogy, opera and conducting. She studies conducting under Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée and voice under renowned soprano Aline Kutan at McGill University. 

Carmen has performed with the National Arts Centre on multiple occasions, first in 2018 under direction of Alexander Shelley in Britten’s War Requiem, then later in 2023 in Artistic Fraud’s production I Forgive You, as well as Handel’s Messiah under direction of both Jeanette Sorrell and Jean Sébastien Vallée. From 2019-2024, Carmen earned various scholarships from placing well in yearly competitions such as Kiwanis Music Festival and NATS National Capital Region. 

She has worked and volunteered with arts organizations such as Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan and the Ottawa Children’s Choir since 2022. She received her first conducting opportunity with the Concert Choir of the Ottawa Children’s Choir in 2023 and has since had the chance to conduct the World Youth Honors Chorus at Interlochen and the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir on occasion. 

Carmen sings with the Choeur Polyphonique de Montréal at Cathédrale Marie Reine du Monde and McGill’s Schulich Singers. Prior to moving to Montréal, she resided in Ottawa and was heavily involved with the music community. During her years with the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir, she performed and soloed with chamber orchestra in numerous masterworks and was awarded the Rich Little Award for her work after her final season with ORYC. 

Written by Carmen Nicholson, 2025