Award-winning Irish/Danish pianist Nils Kavanagh has an energetic and explorative sound, with a taste for strong melodies, bright harmonies and explosive rhythms influenced by his Irish and Danish roots. Nils’ trio presents a diverse mix of music, ranging from compositions inspired by Celtic traditional music and contemporary jazz from Scandinavia and the UK, to modern interpretations of jazz repertoire and other popular music, bringing a new flavour to the classic piano trio format.

Winner of the Young Irish Jazz Musician of the Year Award 2022-2024 and finalist in the BBC Young Jazz Musician 2024, Nils is already making his mark on contemporary improvised music.

“...As well as possessing a radiant piano sound, Kavanagh has a kind of sensitive assurance to his playing. This is demanding music played with skill, yet the leader can also inject a quieter, more reflective mood into the music...” – Philip Watson

Nils Kavanagh is a pianist originally from County Sligo, Ireland born to an Irish father and a Danish mother. Beginning piano lessons at age six, Nils was introduced to jazz music at sixteen through the Sligo Jazz Project festival and summer school. First learning from local pianists Kieran Quinn and Mark Murphy, he quickly developed a love for improvising. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Nils studied under Scott Flanigan, one of Ireland’s top jazz pianists and educators.

In 2022, at the age of 20, Nils won the inaugural Young Irish Jazz Musician of the Year award at the live grand final, which took place in the Limerick University Concert Hall. Then, in 2024, Nils reached the final of the prestigious BBC Young Jazz Musician, which was televised on BBC 4 across the UK and Ireland.

Nils is a regular faculty member at the internationally acclaimed festival and summer school Sligo Jazz Project, and was Young Artist in Residence there in 2023. He has also featured on the line-up of other high profile jazz events, including being a showcase artist at the Jazz Promotion Network conference in 2025, and has performed at Limerick Jazz Festival and Brecon Jazz Festival.

Currently working as a professional musician in the United Kingdom and throughout Ireland, Nils also holds a honours degree from the Bachelor in Jazz Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, tutored by a world class faculty, including pianists Huw Warren and Elliot Galvin.

Nils is a recording/touring sideman with the bands Rivers and Lakes, A Wheel inside a Wheel, and The Mingus Project. Music education is also a passion of Nils’. He teaches privately and has given workshops in various education settings, such as Sligo Jazz Project’s internationally acclaimed summer school, The Original UK Jazz Summerschool, and various other institutions.