Nicholas Oliver was born in London in 1967 and began piano lessons with his father at the age of six.

He spent four years at the Purcell School for young musicians before gaining a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. Postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music followed with Marjorie Clementi, Martin Roscoe and Ka Kit Tam. He won several prizes at both colleges for solo and chamber music performances.

He won the Young Pianist of the Year Award in 1984 and second prize at the 1991 Dudley International Piano Competition.

Nicholas broadcasts frequently and performances abroad have taken him to France, Germany, Ireland, Holland and the USA.

He is on the piano accompaniment staff and a chamber music tutor at Chetham's