Nick Tsiavos is a bassist and composer whose work operates at the intersections of a number of cultural boundaries: from 8th century chant to contemporary minimalism, from church to pub to concert hall.

Since 1994, Tsiavos has been developing new music for the solo bass. As an "ethnic" musician he is interested in, and informed by, non-canonical discourse, while refusing the tokenism that ethnicity often entails. The diversity of his cultural influences come together to create a new language for the bass - work articulating an intensely personal response to the problematics of contemporary Australian culture. Disassociated from the institutional discourses and sites that ground it, the solo bass is forced to re-contextualise itself. As such, the bass functions as a metaphor, invoking the position of the subject in a historical moment marked by cultural dislocation.

Tsiavos has performed as a bass soloist in concert tours in Victoria (1995) and New South Wales (1996) funded by the Australia Council for the Arts. In 1995, the CD All that is Solid melts into Air was produced featuring these new works for the solo bass. A three year involvement with Viriditas culminated in the production of the CD Jouissance. Tsiavos devised the post-modern frame for the 12th century chants of Hildegard and Abelard, and was the musical director/bassist on the project.

Tsiavos continues to freelance between the worlds of jazz, new music and folk music in all its forms. His performances and compositions are regularly broadcast. He is currently developing new repertoire for voice and double bass with soprano Deborah Kayser. They have had numerous broadcasts on ABC Radio’s New Music Australia and Poetica.