Nicole Cras was born on January 6, 2014, in Kortrijk, Belgium, into a family not directly connected with music. Her great-grandfather was the mayor of Waregem.
On her father’s side, Nicole is the granddaughter of Julot Cras (1935–2021), a well-known Belgian entrepreneur and respected public figure. For nearly two decades, he chaired the football club KSV Waregem, leading the team to historic victories in the 1970s and 1980s, and later became its honorary president. He was also a patron of the cultural association De Statievrienden and an honorary citizen of Waregem. Her father continued the family tradition by dedicating his life to business.
On her mother’s side, her grandfather, Oleksandr Kalyuzhny (1951–2025), served as a police lieutenant colonel. After retiring, he became a prominent businessman and public figure in Ukraine. He possessed a rare level of education for his time, holding three university degrees — in economics, agriculture, and law.
Her mother followed in his footsteps and also chose the legal profession.
Nevertheless, there were musical roots in the family: her maternal aunt is a professional musician and teacher proficient in two instruments, and her uncle is a composer and poet. Music entered Nicole’s life not as a tradition, but as an inner calling.
From an early age, Nicole could only fall asleep to classical music. She grew up as a remarkably creative child: at the age of five, she became a finalist in Top Model Belgium and signed contracts with several modeling agencies. Thanks to her plasticity and stage charisma, she was accepted into a ballet conservatory a year earlier than the required age — as an exception. At six, she entered the Royal Academy of Arts in Kortrijk, where she studied visual arts.
One day, when Nicole was eight years old, she approached her mother and said:
“I see piano keys in my dreams. They are my friends. I play with them, and it makes me happy.”
This was the beginning of her musical journey. Soon, she met her teacher Halyna Fysiun, an experienced musician and talented pedagogue who helped awaken and strengthen Nicole’s love for music, teaching her to listen, to feel, and to speak through sound. They started with the simplest pieces — literally a single line. Within six months, Nicole was already playing a Bach prelude, and just two months later she won 1st Prize at her first international piano competition in Portugal.
In only three years, Nicole took part in more than 15 international competitions across Europe — in Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and Ukraine. She has won over ten First Prizes, three Grand Prix awards, as well as two special prizes:
For the best performance of contemporary music
For the best performance of Baroque music (at the WPTA Spain competition)
Nicole has performed at gala concerts in Madrid (Spain), Piacenza (Italy), and Seia (Portugal). One of the most memorable experiences was her participation in the concert dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Grutas de Mira de Aire, the largest cave in Portugal. The concert took place 60 meters underground, where Nicole was the only child among the musicians. That evening, she shared the stage with the renowned Portuguese band The Lucky Duckies.
In 2022, Nicole entered Children’s Music School No. 3 in Mykolaiv (Ukraine), where she continues to develop her skills under the guidance of dedicated teachers who, despite the ongoing war, remain loyal to their vocation. There she studies solfeggio, choral performance, and music literature.
Since September 1, 2025, Nicole has been a student at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento Musical (CARM) of the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (UAX) in Spain, where she studies in the class of professor and composer Giuseppe Devastato.
Nicole possesses an exceptional musical memory, sense of rhythm, quick reflexes, and a high level of technical mastery. She intuitively understands musical form, style, and dramaturgy. Her performance is marked by emotional depth and stage composure. The hallmarks of her style are freedom, curiosity, and refined aural control. Her repertoire includes classical works as well as music by contemporary composers, with a special affinity for jazz and virtuosic pieces, where her individuality shines most vividly.
