Nicholas Rimmer was born in England and studied in Cambridge, Hanover, Berlin and Cologne. A pianist with a keen interest in chamber music, Lied, as well as in historical keyboard instruments, he has appeared in many major concert venues such as Wigmore Hall, Tonhalle Zürich and the Philharmonie Berlin. He has appeared as soloist with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie and the Swiss Chamber Orchestra CHAARTS.

His varied discography numbers over 20 albums and includes three recordings for Naxos. His collaborative partnerships with Gabriel Schwabe and Tianwa Yang have resulted in acclaimed recordings of Brahms and Wolfgang Rihm; the latter (8.572730) received a Diapason d’Or, a Pizzicato Supersonic Award and an International Record Review ‘Outstanding’ Award.

His ensembles include a piano trio, Trio Gaspard, and the Trio Belli-Fischer-Rimmer, a unique combination of trombone, percussion and piano. Nicholas Rimmer regularly collaborates with a diverse range of musicians including Maximilian Hornung, Nils Mönkemeyer, Simon Bode, Ronan Collett and Quatuor Hermès. He also performs live improvisation to silent movies together with percussionist Johannes Fischer.

As of 2019 Nicholas Rimmer holds a professorship for piano at the Freiburg University of Music.