Nicole Cloutier

American pianist and coach Nicole Cloutier specializes in operatic repertoire. She maintains a working relationship with Kennedy Center, having been an assistant conductor and pianist at Washington National Opera for Blue, La bohème, The Lion the Unicorn and Me, and Turandot. Ms. Cloutier was a resident artist at Merola Opera Center of San Francisco Opera for the 2023 summer season, where she was the principle pianist and coach for Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. She has performed on stages throughout New York City and the Washington DC area such as The Library of Congress, The Kreeger Gallery, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Lincoln Center’s Paul Hall, and Alice Tully Hall for their “Through the Looking Glass” recital series. She has workshopped and premiered four new operas for The Kennedy Center’s American Opera Initiative. Ms. Cloutier is a former member of The Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera, and held the position of 2021-2022 Vocal Arts Fellow for The Juilliard School, where she served as rehearsal pianist for The Rake’s Progress and Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor. Past engagements include rehearsal pianist for Le Nozze di Figaro at Chautauqua Voice Institute, Music Director for Michigan Opera Theater’s Operetta Workshops, and a conductor/coach role for Juilliard’s Opera Lab. She graduated in 2021 with a M.M. in Collaborative Piano from The Juilliard School. Her primary teachers there include Lydia Brown, Jonathan Feldman, and JJ Penna. She holds a B.M. in Piano Performance from Michigan State University’s College of Music, where she graduated with highest honors, and was granted the prestigious Trustee Board Award for outstanding academic achievement.