15 Facts About Camille Nickerson

Camille Lucie Nickerson was an American pianist, composer, arranger, collector, and Howard University professor from 1926 to 1962.

Camille Nickerson was influenced by Creole folksongs of Louisiana, which she arranged and sang.

Camille Nickerson was a member of her father's musical ensemble, the Nickerson Ladies' Orchestra, from an early age.

Camille Nickerson earned a bachelor's degree in 1916 and a master's degree in 1932 at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Camille Nickerson continued her studies with support from a Rosenwald Fellowship.

Camille Nickerson made further studies on a sabbatical in 1939 and 1940, at Columbia University and the Juilliard School.

Camille Nickerson taught at her father's school in New Orleans as a young woman, and played organ and piano recitals in Black churches.

In 1917, Camille Nickerson founded the B-Sharp Music Club, an organization which gave monthly concerts featuring Western art music, spirituals, and Afro-Creole music.

Camille Nickerson would go on to hold the offices of Secretary, Vice President and ultimately, in 1944, President of NANM.

In 1926, Camille Nickerson accepted an invitation to serve as professor of music at Howard University, where she taught piano, pipe organ, and methods of teaching.

Camille Nickerson was a featured performer in the Negro Exhibits Building at the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936.

Camille Nickerson toured France as a cultural relations representative in 1954, sponsored by the US Information Agency ; her success on radio and stage in France was helped by her fluent French.

From 1935 to 1938, Camille Nickerson was president of the National Association of Negro Musicians.

Camille Nickerson was an officer of the organization as early as 1925.

Camille Nickerson died in Washington, DC in 1982, aged 94 years.