MUSE • Musicians United for Social Equity

Biography

Nicole Lam is a musical director, orchestra conductor, pianist, and vocalist based in NYC, forging a path in symphonic orchestra and musical theatre.

Her music direction credits span theatre, opera, and concert work. In summer 2025, she served as Associate Music Director for Guys and Dolls at the Ogunquit Playhouse. Other credits include Into the Woods (Yale Dramat Mainstage), The Great Comet of 1812 (dir. Annette Jolles), john & jen, Gypsy, Violet, Pippin, A Chorus Line, West Side Story, and Cendrillon. Nicole has collaborated with the Yale Schwarzman Center, Yale Artists Cabaret, and served as staff pianist for the Shen Curriculum in Musical Theatre. She was also selected as a participant in the inaugural David Lee Conducting Program.

In 2025, Nicole was awarded the Louis Sudler Prize—one of Yale College’s top five academic honors—for her work as a conductor and musical leader. She also received the Wrexham Prize for Music and the Joseph Selden Memorial Award for excellence in the arts and community leadership.

Nicole studied conducting with Maestro William Boughton and served as Assistant Conductor of the Yale Symphony Orchestra during the 2024–2025 season, opening nearly every concert with works by Carlos Simon, Copland, and Theofanidis. She also led the orchestra’s sold-out Halloween Show at Woolsey Hall and made her international conducting debut that spring, conducting concerts across North Macedonia and Greece, including a performance at the Athens Megaron Concert Hall.

As Music Director of the Berkeley College Orchestra (2023–2025), Nicole tripled the ensemble’s size, expanded its artistic scope, and brought it back to Yale’s mainstage, Woolsey Hall. She also launched chamber music and student conducting workshop initiatives to foster musical community on campus.

A classically trained pianist and vocalist, Nicole studied with Elizabeth Parisot, performed solo recitals, and earned top prizes in the Houston International Music Competition and Steinway Junior Southern California Competition. She sang alto with the Yale Glee Club and Yale Schola Cantorum.

Nicole is the Founder of Love Through Music, a national nonprofit bringing student performances to retirement homes and veterans hospitals. She holds a B.S. and M.S. from Yale in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, graduating cum laude with distinction in both majors.