After getting his start with rock music and with string instruments, Nicola studied classical percussion in Milan and at the Conservatoire de la Suisse Italienne where he taught from 1987 to 1995. He then honed his skills with the A.M.R. de Genève with Marc Loopuyt, and at the Conservatoire de Lucerne with Pierre Favre, Ruud Wiener, Amsterdam Percussionists, Trilok Gurtu and Adama Drame. His extensive experience made it possible for him to collaborate with several musicians: Dr. Chattanooga & Navarones, Giorgio Conte, Françoise Atlan, Manu Theron and Lo Còr de la Plana, Eric Montbel, Ripercussioni Trio, Maria Bonzanigo and Teatro Sunil, Rafael Lima (Parà, Brazil), the European Youth Orchestra, Banco Philarmonie, Azadi (Kurdistan), Al Cal Govend, Artemondi, Wang Xiao Ching and Chun He Gao (China), Patricio Morales (Chili), Panselinos (music from northern Greece), Gacha Empega (Polyphonies Marseillaises), El Hilal (Algérie), Orchestre de Chambre de Ville, Coro Luca Marenzio, Quatour Novecento, Boukovo (Balkan fanfare), Michèle Fernandez, Delizioso (Italian songs from the 1930's and 1940's), Neno Koytchev (Bulgaria), Balkan'ail, Aix'inki and Patrick Vaillant. He has also collaborated with several composers, choreographers, theatres, poets, and painters. In a duet with Maria Bonzanigo, he created the show "Percossi Obbligati" which was nominated for the Florencio Cat Award for "Best Foreign Show" from the Association Critiques de Théâtre de Uruguay at the Juegos Panlatinos de Teatro in Montevideo in 1995, and the 1st prize in the "Young Audience" category at the ASTAJ Festival in Lucerne in 1999. He has also garnered several awards for CD's that he has recorded, namely the Golden Orsino from Radio SFW Karlsruhe for the CD "Musica per Teatro" with Artemondi in 1995; "Méditation" with Giorgio Conte scored "fff" on Telerama in 1996; "Delizioso" received three stars on "Jazzman" and the Phonopaca Award in 2005; and "La Charmeuse de Serpents" with Eric Montbel received a "Bravo" on Trad'Mag in 2006.

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