MusB, The Juilliard School

Professor of Music at The University at Buffalo since 1998, Jon Nelson has worked tirelessly as an advocate for contemporary music and living composers. A co-founder of the Meridian Arts Ensemble in 1987, he helped steer the group through a near 40 year run in which the MAE developed a new aesthetic of brass chamber music. With a focus on American composers, Nelson’s initiative has resulted in a body of work for brass that blurs traditional lines of categorization, bringing modern brass sound to new levels of purpose. Commissioned and arranged music from Stephen Barber, David Sanford, Milton Babbitt, Frank Zappa, Su Lian Tan, Tom Pierson, Andrew Rindfleisch, Ana Lara, Elliott Sharp, John Halle, Frank London, Kirk Nurock, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Ballou, King Crimson, Nick Didkovsky, Lei Liang, David Felder, Tania León, Captain Beefheart, Hermeto Pascoal, Mark Applebaum, Dafnis Prieto, Jimi Hendrix, Britton Theurer, and Ed Jacobs are all integral to Meridian’s repertoire. With over 15 recordings and 100+ commissions and premieres, Meridian long ago planted its flag as an intention ally groundbreaking and provocative musical unit.

Nelson has been Co-Curator of The Festival of New Trumpet Music in New York City, Producer for The Art of Jazz at The Albright Knox Art Gallery, and Artistic Director at Pausa Art House, in Buffalo NY. He has developed a number of concert series in Western New York, connecting student, professional, and community musicians. He recently produced recordings for the David Sanford Big Band, Factory Seconds Brass Trio, and Stephen Barber, and has four solo CDs that explore new directions in brass music; Metalofonico, Secret Messages,Gran Calavera Electrica, Trumpet Nature.

He served as Principal Trumpet for the Festival Orchestra d'Aix en Provence in France under the direction of Pierre Boulez (2000), the Mineria Festival Orchestra in Mexico City (1998), and was an active freelance musician in New York City, performing in Broadway orchestra pits of Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, 42nd St., Nine, Man of LaMancha, The King and I, Camelot, and Crazy for You.

As a teacher, Nelson strives to support his students’ creativity and musical proficiency. At University at Buffalo, he has reframed traditional ensembles and created new genre specific student groups that give attention to music ignored by the academic canon; Pan Am Ensemble, Ragtime Ensemble, Raymond Scott Project, The Friday Band, and the Genkin Philharmonic. He has served on the faculty at the Tanglewood Music Center, Princeton University, Boston University, Hartt College, Middlebury College, Meridian Seminar at EUC, Atlantic Brass Seminar, Oaxaca Instrumenta, and has presented numerous master classes in the US, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Taiwan, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba and Costa Rica.

Nelson holds a BM from The Juilliard School where he studied with Mark Gould, and has also studied with Antoine Cure in France, Laurie Frink and William Vacchiano in New York, and Don Harry in Buffalo.

Dream of Miles
brass quintet and percussion

Sleepless
brass quintet and percussion

Fanfare for Nothing
brass quintet and percussion

Paterson 2:35
brass quintet and percussion

Song for a Dead King
brass quintet, voice, and percussion

Point of Origin
drum set solo

Song for a Dead King

We Need to Dream All This Again

Madrigal: Io Pur Respiro