Nikk Pilato is currently on the faculty of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University - Long Beach, where he serves as Associate Director of Bands. In this capacity, he assists with all facets of the University’s band program and contributes to the school’s mission through teaching, service, research, and scholarly/creative endeavours. Nikk is the Principal Conductor of the CSULB Symphonic Band and Concert Band, and teaches courses in conducting.
Nikk received the Bachelor of Music Education, Master of Music Education, and Ph.D. in Music Education and Instrumental Conducting from the Florida State University College of Music in Tallahassee, Florida. His primary conducting teachers were Richard Clary, Patrick Dunnigan, and Jim Croft. His dissertation, a transcription for winds of Joseph Schwantner's New Morning for the World, is published by Schott-Helicon Music.
Prior to his appointment at CSULB, Nikk was the Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Georgia, held a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Louisville, served as Director of Bands and Orchestras at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs, Florida, and was Director of Bands at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
In 2008 Nikk founded the Wind Repertory Project, a comprehensive database of wind literature, expanded by user contributions much like Wikipedia. The database includes information such as instrumentation, program notes, errata, study resources, articles, commercially available recordings, and more. In the three years since its inception, the WRP has already amassed over 2,300 user-submitted entries, and has been visited over three million times.
Nikk maintains a busy profile as a clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor.