Nikolai Margulis, banjoist, songwriter, and winner of the 2023 FreshGrass Banjo Award, was first captivated by the banjo at the age of five. 

Starting as a classic player, he converted to the three-finger style six years ago. Since then, he’s been making waves in the bluegrass and progressive banjo world, performing with renowned artists like Tony Trischka, Michael Cleveland, Béla Fleck, and the Mountain Grass Unit at national events including the Banjo Gathering in Baltimore, MD, Winter Wondergrass at Lake Tahoe, CA, and shows along the East Coast. For four years, Nikolai played in the Kids Award Show Band at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), performing for the Bluegrass Music Award nominees.

Nikolai has developed tablature for Béla Fleck, for Hal Leonard Publications, and for the Blue Ridge Banjo Camp (including an original arrangement for 100 banjos of the Star Wars Theme). He was cast in workshop productions of Obie Award winning playwright Sarah Gancher’s bluegrass musical setting of Eugene Onegin, performing it at TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, AR and at Dorset Theatre in Vermont. His installment in Tony Trischka’s ArtistWorks Interview series appeared earlier this year.

Nikolai is currently a first year at Harvard pursuing a joint studies program with the Berklee College of Music. Nikolai is a Prucha artist.