Head of Jazz Programmes at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Nick Smart is an internationally renowned jazz educator, trumpeter and conductor who has given guest masterclasses and performances around the world. In 2013 he was awarded the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Jazz Education, in 2015 awarded Honorary Membership of the Royal Academy of Music, and in 2022 conferred with Professorship from the University of London.

His versatility as a trumpet player and his work at the upper echelons of Jazz Education has allowed him to perform alongside many international jazz stars in a variety of contexts, from Jazz Festival appearances to summer school concerts. These have included Dave Holland, Bob Brookmeyer, John Hollenbeck, Mike Gibbs and Nikki Iles, as well as most of the leading names on the UK jazz scene. He has also performed and recorded internationally as the regular soloist with the famous “JTQ”. Nick has released three albums as a leader to critical acclaim, including 2005’s “Remembering Nick Drake” which was described by Straight No Chaser magazine as “…a future classic because it really captures all that is best about British jazz….”. At home he is recognised as one of the leading musicians on the UK jazz scene, where as well as being in regular demand as a sideman to players of all generations, he continues to record and tour with his own projects. As an acclaimed musical director of large ensembles, Nick has been invited to lead projects with big bands all over the world. He has been a guest director of European Big Band projects in Paris, Tallin and the Jazz Institute Berlin, and last year was the guest director of the Grahamstown Festival Big Band in South Africa. And at home he has conducted the Stan Sulzmann “Neon Orchestra”, the award winning Troyka large ensemble, “Troykestra”, the Gareth Lockrane Big Band, the Julian Siegel Jazz Orchestra and orchestral projects with JTQ.

Perhaps most notably, Nick was a close colleague and friend of the late Kenny Wheeler and has been instrumental in keeping Wheeler’s legacy alive. As well as being a member of Kenny’s big band, Nick helped manage the latter stages of Kenny’s career, secured the Kenny Wheeler Archive into the Royal Academy of Music Collections, completed a PhD focussed on Wheeler’s development and co-wrote the biography; Song for Someone: The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler (Brian Shaw and Nick Smart, Equinox Publishing 2025). Now regarded as one of the leading authorities in the world on Wheeler’s life and music, Nick has given talks, masterclasses and concerts around the world focussed on various aspects of Kenny’s life and his repertoire, many times in partnership with another close Wheeler associate, Dave Holland.