Biography

Growing up, never once did Nicole consider becoming a professional musician. As a child, she idolized the first female astronaut, Sally Ride, and desperately wanted to go to space, too. Apart from that, multiple career aptitude tests throughout her life overwhelmingly suggested that Nicole, lover of all things spooky, become a mortician or funeral director. Music and art, despite their constant presence in her life, never factored into the career equation for young Nicole.

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Thankfully, life doesn’t always go according to plan.

 

Dreams change.

 

Fears of heights and tight spaces manifest.

 

Sixth-grade band directors choose painfully awkward students to play equally awkward instruments.

 

Awkward students fall in love with awkward instruments and decide to become musicians. 

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Today, shooting for different stars, Nicole Sonneveld is a successful freelance musician, educator, and accomplished scholar who has spoken at regional and international conferences on the arts. Nicole completed a Master's of Music in Bassoon Performance at Roosevelt University, where she became a proud bassoon disciple of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Dennis Michel. Prior to her time with Maestro Michel, she also studied with three more wonderful teachers: Mr. Lewis Kirk of Chicago's Lyric Opera Orchestra, Dr. Staci Spring of the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, and Ms. Dianne Ryan of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra.

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Nicole believes that music, the arts, and literature are necessary components of a healthy world. In keeping with this ethos, as a freelance musician, she performs with an eclectic variety of organizations, all of whom share the humanity and power of music with communities across all intersections of willing listeners.

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Having recently moved to the Kankakee area from the Western Chicago suburbs, Nicole is now a principal player of the River Valley Wind Ensemble, New Horizons Band, and the Kankakee Municipal Summer Band, she performs regularly with the Fox Valley Orchestra, and she often fills in on the contrabassoon for the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra. A more exhaustive list of Nicole's performance history can be found on her resume.

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Besides maintaining an active performing and teaching schedule, Nicole is proud to serve as the Administrative Manager for the Hinsdale Humane Society. In this role, Nicole can be found doing just about anything from grant-writing, interfacing with the public, picking up poop, or locating a key for something.

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In December of 2025, HHS put on its first-ever Candelight Concert for Compassion, an ambient evening of music featuring local musicians (and Nicole) to benefit the shelter. To promote the event, Nicole and her bassoon, Nicole's boss, and Yang the Puppy went on the morning news. Yang was perfectly cute, and Nicole played a carol for the cameras.

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Following the concert, Nicole was recognized as "Employee of the Quarter," a distinction voted on by her colleagues. She is deeply humbled by this recognition.​

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Nicole lives in Kankakee, IL with her husband, Mike, and their two hot mess pets, Seed T. Dog and Tux T. Cat.