Nicole Robson is an artist and interdisciplinary researcher working across music, sonic arts, and human–computer interaction.
Guided by the relational logic of sound, she explores new ways of knowing and designing for human experiences with technology. Her research combines artistic practice, and qualitative methods to explore the lived experience of sonic interaction and the entanglement of technologies with social and material contexts.
As a composer, she blends classical instrumentation with electronic and algorithmic processes to create detailed and organic music productions for contemporary dance (Wayne McGregor, Akshay Sharma, Sadlers Wells Digital), virtual reality film (Satore Studio, BBC, Anagram) and public art installations (NHS, Mayor of London, Museum of London). Her work has been recognised at the Venice Film Festival, Sound Walk September and the International Women’s Podcast Awards.
Before her return to academia, Nicole worked primarily as a session cellist and multi-instrumentalist for an array of artists including Lana Del Rey, Izzy Bizu, Slow Club, Viv Albertine and Rhodes. She has toured in over thirty countries, performed at major global festivals including Glastonbury, Coachella, Laneway, Sziget and Pukkelpop, on television programmes such as Later... with Jools Holland, and live for BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, and 6 Music.
Nicole played cello in art-pop orchestra The Irrepressibles (2006-2012), whose track ‘In This Shirt’ has more than 250 million streams on Spotify. She joined Bat for Lashes for the Haunted Man album tour (2012-13), notably supporting Depeche Mode on the East Coast leg of their US tour. Nicole played synths, keys and sang as a member of the dance band Stats, releasing two albums on the indie label Memphis Industries: ‘Other Peoples’ Lives’ (2019) and ‘Powys 1999’ (2021).
Having recently completed a PhD in Media and Arts Technology at Queen Mary University of London, Nicole is now a Research Associate in the Augmented Instruments Laboratory at Imperial College London. She also teaches critical research skills to music producers at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance and works as a freelance composer for screen, stage, and public artworks.
Current projects include Moments of Grace, a permanent sound installation for St Thomas’s Hospital in Central London that combines stories of nursing with music inspired by the hospital's community, heritage and location.