Bassoonist and Edmonton native Matt Nickel was appointed Second Bassoon of the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra in September 2013 while completing his Master of Music in Bassoon Performance at the University of Michigan. While at UM, Matt studied with Dr. Jeffrey Lyman, and prior to attending Michigan, Matt earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Alberta where he studied with Diane Persson. He is a veteran of such summer festivals as the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the National Arts Centre Young Artists Program. Former teachers have included Kathleen McLean and Richard Gagnon (NYOC), Christopher Millard (YAP), and Matthew Howatt. An active freelancer, Matt has appeared on both bassoon and contrabassoon with orchestras in the Edmonton, Calgary, and Ann Arbor (Michigan) areas, as well as recorded for CBC, Equilibrium Records, Milan Records, Retriever Records, and Vytis Records Canada.