Biography
As a chamber musician, Nick is a founding member of Latitude 39, a dynamic and innovative trio with violinist Diana Seitz and pianist Maya Tuylieva. Through thoughtfully curated programming, they showcase traditional Turkmen, Ukrainian, and Azerbaijani pieces alongside modern works that blend the cultural heritage and backgrounds of the musicians themselves.
May’s critically acclaimed recordings have been released internationally on the Neuma and Albany labels, with upcoming releases from Latitude 39 through Navona Records and as a featured soloist in collaboration with Dr. Todd Nichols and the Eastern Wind Symphony on Mark Custom Records. He released his debut album in 2019 - Tone Studies: the Saxophone Music of David Maslanka; is additionally featured on The Chamber Music of David von Kampen and the University of Nebraska - Lincoln Jazz Orchestra’s album, The Good Life.
Additionally, May is the founder of the I Exist Project, which advocates for and celebrates the multifaceted aspects of queer life, culture, and artistry through collaboration, creation, and visibility of queer repertoire. His latest album, You, Me, Us, as part of the I Exist Project, has received acclaim for its blending of activism with performance; as AM:plified Magazine writes, "what resonates here is more than sound art—it's a dialogue about visibility. The result: music that fights, heals, and celebrates."
May has given masterclasses and guest lectures on a wide array of topics—ranging from musical performance and collaboration to entrepreneurship and LGBTQ studies—and has been an artist-in-residence at many of the nation’s elite conservatories and universities, including the Manhattan School of Music, the Peabody Institute, University of California-Davis, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Denison University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Oklahoma, among numerous others. He holds degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (B.M.) and the University of Kansas (M.M.).
Nick May is an endorsing artist for Key Leaves and Légère Reeds, and performs on Yanagisawa saxophones.
Saxophonist Nick May is sought after as “a highly expressive, virtuosic, and fresh performer” (David Del Tredici, Pulitzer Prize and Grammy-winning composer) that “knows no boundaries, neither technically nor emotionally” (AM:plified Magazine). Since his solo debut at the age of eighteen with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, May’s career has taken him throughout the United States, Singapore, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark, appearing recurrently as a soloist; including multiple performances in Carnegie Hall.
He has performed as a soloist and been featured with numerous ensembles, including the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra, University of Iowa Center for New Music Ensemble, Arapahoe Philharmonic Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, Tallgrass Chamber Choir, Classical Saxophone Project, Mid-America Freedom Band, Baker University Wind Ensemble, Kansas Wesleyan University Wind Ensemble, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Orchestra, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Wind Ensemble.
May has premiered works and collaborated with today's most eminent and emerging composers including solo works by Kevin Day, Jennifer Higdon, Tyler Harrison, Rex Isenberg, Ingrid Stölzel, Spencer Arias, Stuart Beatch, Zachery S. Meier, Iván Enrique Rodríguez, Sebastian Zhang, to chamber works by Suhan Tuyliyev, Peter Dayton, Aaryn S. Ricuicci-Hill, Nathan Froebe, Scott Hansen, among many others while advocating for contemporary music.