Nikolas Caoile is a conductor, pianist, and music educator. Currently, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra and Director of Orchestras at Central Washington University. He also serves as Orchestras Conductor for the Midsummer Musical Retreat. He previously served as Music Director of Lake Union Civic Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Salem Chamber Orchestra. He has conducted many other orchestras including: Third Angle New Music, Auburn Symphony, Harmonia, Northwest Mahler Festival Orchestra, Rainier Symphony, Yakima Symphony, Gig Harbor Symphony, Lake Avenue Orchestra, Olympia Symphony, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas in collaboration with the Christopher Wheeldon's Morphoses Dance Company at New York City Center. 

 

A passionate believer in music education for all ages, Caoile has led numerous educational and community engagement concerts including the Alaska, Indiana, and Idaho All-State Orchestras, the Washington All-State Jr. Orchestra, the Salem Al-City Middle School Orchestra as well as many regional honor orchestras in Washington, Montana, Alaska, Arizona, Oregon, and Indiana. Caoile was the awarded Outstanding Orchestral Achievement Award from the Washington Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. He has led the CWU Symphony Orchestra to invitations to perform at The Midwest Clinic, Capital Orchestra Festival, and numerous performances at the NW and State Washington Music Educators Conferences. 

Born in Portland, Nikolas Caoile now resides in Ellensburg, WA with his wife, mezzo-soprano, Melissa Schiel and their son, Kieran. Caoile holds degrees in Conducting and Music Composition and completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Michigan. He has been awarded the Distinguished Alumni Citation from Willamette University, the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award from CWU’s College of Arts and Humanities, and he was named a semi-finalist for the American Prize in Conducting. Caoile also enjoys playing golf, NYT Crosswords, and cooking.