Jeff Nelsen
Professor of Music (Horn)
Contact Information:
jnelsen
[at]
indiana [dot] edu
(jnelsen@indiana.edu)
Music Addition, MA311
Department
Biography
The eclectic career of internationally acclaimed hornist Jeff Nelsen comprises a true cross-section of the music industry. For over twenty years, he has succeeded in both classical and contemporary music and has been inspirational as both musician and mentor. He is best known as the hornist of the Canadian Brass, with whom he toured and recorded for 8 years. As a horn soloist, he has performed concerti with orchestra, and his uniquely engaging recitals on five continents.
As professor of horn at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Jeff teaches horn, chamber music, and trains people in what he calls "Fearless Performance", a subject upon which he recently gave a TEDx Talk. An innovative pedagogue in both substance and style, Jeff utilizes multiple avenues for distance learning. He recently gave his fearless lecture over live video conferencing to a group in USA while he was in Tokyo. Jeff also teaches online lessons all over the world from his studio in Bloomington. Prior to joining the horn faculty at the Jacobs School in 2006, Jeff had been on faculty at the University of Toronto, British Columbia, Victoria (B.C.), and McGill University in Montreal.
Jeff has performed with dozens of orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Houston, and National Symphonies, Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras, and the Canadian and New York City Opera Companies. He has held full-time positions in the Montreal, Vancouver, and Winnipeg symphony orchestras.
Eager to cross musical boundaries, Nelsen has performed the complete run of two shows on Broadway and toured with popular entertainers including Barry Manilow and Michael Bolton. He has an extensive discography that includes film, television, and video game soundtracks, jazz, and solo features in addition to his many Canadian Brass and symphonic recordings.
Jeff grew up on a pig farm in Western Canada with opera singing pig farming parents. He is married to mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen. Jeff can't seem to escape singers! These strong vocal influences on his music-making give Jeff his signature sound and singing approach to his teaching and horn playing. Aside from creating musical magic, Jeff is an enthusiastic magician, and often adds touches of illusionary arts to performances.
Nelsen is a Dieter Otto performing artist and clinician. Jeff Nelsen is an inspirational writer, and you can find his articles and subscribe to his free newsletter "Get Fearless" focusing on "Fearlessness Performance" at www.jeffnelsen.com.