Born in London, England, Nigel North has been Professor of Lute at the Early Music Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington (USA) since 1999.
Initially inspired at the age of seven by the early 60's instrumental pop group "The Shadows", Nigel studied classical music through the violin and guitar, eventually discovering his real path in life, the lute, when he was 15. Basically self-taught on the lute, he has for nearly 40 years developed a unique musical life which embraces activities as a teacher, accompanist, soloist, director and writer. He has been Professor of Lute at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London (1974 – 1995), Hochschüle der Kunste, Berlin (1991 – 1998) and the Royal Conservatory in Den Haag, Holland (2005 -2008).
His principal musical passions are teaching, accompanying singers, the solo lute repertoires of Elizabethan England, the late German Baroque music of Bach and Weiss, and 16thcentury polyphony.
Recordings include a four CD boxed set “Bach on the Lute” (Linn Records), four CDs of the lute music of John Dowland (Naxos), and two new on going series of music by Sylvius Weiss (BGS) and Francesco da Milano (BGS).