Niko aka Nikolai Selikovsky is a multi-talented performing artist born in Vienna, Austria, and currently living and working in Rome.

He is the frontman of the Hip-hop Soul Band N.I.K.O., who are releasing their new LP  ‘Hello & Ciao’ at their upcoming album release concert  this Friday 26^th September at the B72 in Vienna, Austria.

Since the age of 19, he has been professionally active in both drama and music productions. His two streams of career encompass not only acting, but also film directing; and as a musician, he has worked with a variety of styles as a frontman on the one hand, and as a producer on the other.

His first major film, where he was producer, writer and leading actor was in the Austrian film Sturmfrei (Storm Free) in 2009. Although he has appeared in over 15 films since 1997, he achieved national recognition in his native Austria with the role of Thomas in Die Migrantigen (The Migrants) in 2017. He has honed his acting skills with the New York based acting coach Susan Batson. In 2020, he was nominated for best actor in the short film Anna at the Pigneto Film Festival and most recently in 2024, he has appeared in the Netflix hit of The Decameron.

His musical career has been marked by a willingness to find the most fitting expression of musical and poetic ideas through the most suitable genre. This eclectic approach has meant he has been at times a solo rap artist from 2007 and from 2014 working with an ensemble; the hip-hop and soul band N.I.K.O.

It is no coincidence that the 2009 film Sturmfrei included music composed by Selikovsky demonstrating the versatility and synergy of his artistic passions. His first solo album in 2010 was ‘Dichter der Großstadt’  (‘Poet of the Big City’). This was followed by ‘Zwischen Asphalt und Milchstraße’  (‘Between Asphalt and Milky Way’) which introduced the band N.I.K.O to a wider audience. In 2018, the band N.I.K.O released the album ‘Unter Strom’ (‘Under Power’). And their latest release fourth studio album ‘Hallo & Ciao’ includes the singles ‘Ballaci Su’ and ‘Lady Godard’.

The current band members are:

Nikolai Selikovsky – Vocals, electric guitar, keyboard

Leslie April – Vocals, Keyboard

Lukas Fellner – Drums

Eva Brandner – Keyboard

Sara Hoffer – Saxophone

Bernhard Fellner – Trumpet

Federico Torri – Bass

Markus Pagitsch – Saxophone

N.I.K.O. has the distinction of being the first band from Austria in 2015  to finance a tour through crowdfunding playing in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. This was followed by articles in ZIB, News, Salzburg24 up to Germany in Die Zeit, and many other media. In the same year the band performed in various locations such as the Mole West in Burgenland, Haus des Meeres in Vienna and in the Gschupften Ferdl.

In line with the stated eclecticism, N.I.K.O. is a collective of musicians from different musical genres, which varies in number during their performances. Sometimes four and sometimes up to eight musicians perform live.

For more information about the band, visit:

WWW.NIKO-OFFICIAL.COM

In the year 1880, Richard Wagner was hard at work composing what was to be his final opera, Parsifal. (He had been working on Parsifal since 1857). One of his favourite places to relax and draw inspiration from was Italy, and he stayed in Ravello at the Villa Rufolo, and it was in the Villa Rufolo that he found Klingsor’s Garden, which is so important for the second act. Being here in Ravello excited him and gave Wagner the burst of inspiration to complete the opera.

The Voice Detective is excited to present an interview with Maurizio Pietrantonio the General Manager of the Fondazione Ravello which is based in the Villa Rufolo. The Fondazione Ravello Villa Rufolo presents and manages the Ravello Festival and between the 6 July and the 25 August 2025 it will be the 73rd time it is taking place. More information about the Ravello Festival can be found HERE. What can be more evocative of the magic of Southern Italy that enchanted Wagner than sitting in the very garden that inspired him and overlooking the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea?

Maurizio Pietrantonio brings to the interview his  extensive experience as a performing musician, professor of violin, musicologist, and the management and promotion of cultural events. Until 2023 he was tenured professor of violin at the  State Conservatory of Music Naples, ‘San Pietro a Majella’. From 1999 to 2006 he was a Member of the Board of Directors of the Teatro di San Carlo Foundation and has extensive experience with management of theatres, music festivals and performances. He is also the recipient of numerous awards, most recently in 2024 the ‘Sorrentina Classica’ Lifetime Achievement Award. With his decades of knowledge, experience and artistic sensibility, the Voice Detective is privileged to be able to present Maurizio Pietrantonio’s unique life journey with an emphasis on Wagner’s presence and lasting legacy in Ravello.