Nicolas comes from an international family.  Nicolas’ father, John Sundell Carter, was born and raised in Minnesota.  His mother, Renee Galland, was born to Swiss parents in Argentina and raised in Argentina and Uruguay.  His older brother Miguel was born in Mexico, Nicolas was born in Minnesota and moved to Paraguay when he was 6 months old, and his sister, Yvette, was born in Paraguay.

Nicolas’ parents were social workers and missionaries with the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. He grew up in a creative and spirited family surrounded by puppets and dramas, playing soccer with his neighbors, and learning the guitar and harp. Nicolas spent most of his childhood in Paraguay, but every 5 years spent a year in the United States when his parents we on sabbatical. Nicolas calls both Paraguay and Minnesota home and he loves aspects of both.

The Paraguayan harp is the national folk instrument of Paraguay. Nicolas began harp lessons at the age of ten. He was taught in the traditional folk manner; he learned by ear, worked on finger techniques, and developed strong memory and improvisational skills. For Nicolas, harp music was part of the social rituals of life in Paraguay, present at parties, churches, serenades, musical festivals and folk dances. Paraguay has distinguished itself for the tradition of harp music. Not only have they developed a unique instrument based on the 16th century Spanish harp, but have also established their own style of playing. Nicolas learned the harp from Isidro Caballero, a master harpist who traveled extensively throughout the world as a professional musician.

Nicolas started his career as a musician at eighteen years of age when he returned to the United States to study at the University of Minnesota. Nicolas earned a degree in Theatre, Studio Arts, and Intercultural Communications. Away from his homeland, the Paraguayan harp from his childhood became precious. A new sense of appreciation flourished as music became the means to be connected to the memories of the past and to rejoice and share with others the music and traditions of Paraguay. During his college years, he became an accompanist to popular Paraguayan singer Lizza Bogado, performing in concerts throughout the United States during the late 1980s and to Sweden in 1990.

After completing his undergraduate degree, he returned home to Paraguay soon after Stroessner, the dictator of Paraguay for the 35 years prior, was overthrown and democracy was introduced. With democracy came freedom of speech. It was an incredible time to be an artist in Paraguay! Nicolas worked as a theatre professor at the Catholic University and, in collaboration with his students, created an original play based on their collective life experiences. La Cabeza was a comedic criticism of Paraguayan culture, including the education system, the media, the church, politics, and other "sacred" institutions. The play won the prestigious Cartelera Award for Best Play of the Year and stimulated a movement of collaborative creations where groups of young artists created their own original pieces and found their voice. After working in Paraguay for nearly 2 years, he returned to Minnesota to start a family and to attend the University of Minnesota, where he completed a Master of Fine Arts in theatre directing.

In 1991, after returning from Paraguay, Nicolas returned to his music career. He joined other local Latin American musicians Mauricio Sanchez (guitar, woodwinds) and Juan Ruiz Bautista (lead singer, bajo) to form a trio called Son del Sur (meaning Song from the South in Spanish). Son del Sur performed traditional Latin American folk music combining rhythms from various Latin American countries in a style that was uniquely their own. They were very well received by the public throughout the Midwestern region of the United States. Son del Sur disbanded when each of the participants decided to pursue other goals: Nicolas returned to Paraguay, Mauricio began his masters degree in architecture, and Juan continued playing with various salsa and Andean musical groups.

In 1994, Nicolas and his family moved to Paraguay where he worked once again in theatre and continued to develop his harp skills and increase his collection of harps. In 1995, he moved to France where he performed with Ecuadorian harpist Hugo Barahona and gave concerts in Germany and France.

Nicolas return to Minnesota in 1996, to work as a full time musician. He is often asked to play solo harp, a duet with harp and guitar, or with a trio. He plays Latin American folk music with other experienced and talented local musicians Renato Lombardi, Aurelio Silva, Eligio Zarate, Pedro Torres, and Michael Bissonnette among others. In 2001, Nicolas began collaborating with Argentinean guitarist Renato Lombardi and formed an ensemble called Nube (meaning Cloud in Spanish). Nicolas began focusing on developing his repertoire of original music, blending textures of Latin American music with influences of world contemporary music.

In addition to providing educational presentations at schools, Nicolas was engaged in several artist residencies (music and theater) at schools including Guadalupe Area Project (GAP) High School in St. Paul and Windom, Barton, and Lake Harriet Elementary Schools in Minneapolis.  He regularly assisted with theatrical and musical performances at the City of Lakes Waldorf school in Minneapolis.

In 2003, Nicolas returned to Paraguay with his family to spend a year near his parents, as his mother had been diagnosed with ALS.  In Minnesota, Nicolas and his wife, Tracy, had been performing cultural presentations for people interested in Paraguayan culture, so he invited those interested in truly learning about Paraguay to participate in his customized tours to Paraguay.  Nicolas and Tracy had the honor of introducing individuals, families that had adopted children from Paraguay, and harp students to Paraguay and developed wonderful relationships with local artisans in the process. 

Nicolas also return to his work in theater during his year in Paraguay.  Nicolas taught theater workshops at several schools and institutes.  His theater experience in Paraguay culminated in a production that he co-authored and directed called "Proximo Estreno", a comedic farce based on "Noises Off!"

While in South America, Nicolas gave concerts and spent many leisurely hours at his family home in the countryside composing new music.  He has recorded a CD of the gentle melodies he composed within the next few months.   

In the last 15 years, Nicolas has recorded nearly a dozen recordings.  The following is a list of titles currently in circulation:

• By the light of the Moon (1997) melodies you will recognize, as well original compositions
• Ecos del Alma (1998) a collection of popular Latin American folk melodies recorded with Son del Sur
• Christmas Melodies (2000) a blending of traditional carols with Latin American instrumentation recorded in collaboration with guitarist Renato Lombardi and other musicians
• Crossing the Isthmus (2003) a joyous combination of harp and violin, recorded in collaboration with the talented violinist Ingrid Sweeney
• TBD (2005) gentle harp music inspired by relaxing moments in the countryside of Paraguay

Nicolas now lives in Crystal, Minnesota with his wife Tracy and his three children Maliya, Jovan, and Elian.