Jeff Nelsen

Canadian Brass solo hornist and Indiana University faculty member Jeff Nelsen was not born fearless. Well ok, he was. We are all born fearless. While growing up, though, he learned to fear, just like the rest of us. Some fears are good for survival, so he continues to fear being hit by a snow plow. But Jeff has learned how to identify and replace the destructive fears that get in the way of doing our best during performance. Imagine walking onstage full of optimism and looking around the hall thinking, "Hello! Welcome to my living room! Just relax and enjoy this wonderful music." Jeff lives and performs in this free state of selective naïveté, and he has become an expert in teaching others how to do this as well.

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.  His eldest sister Lisa resides in England where she is a freelance flutist while his sister Suzanne, a bassoonist, is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Jeff has held positions in the Montreal, Vancouver, and Winnipeg symphony orchestras. Among his other appearances as orchestral performer are those in the horn sections of the New York Philharmonic, the Boston, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and National (Kennedy Center, D.C.) Symphonies, the National Arts Center Orchestra, and the Canadian Opera Company. As a member of Canadian Brass, in addition to the hundreds of quintet recitals performed all over the world, Jeff has been featured with symphony orchestras including Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Seattle, and St. Louis.

Nelsen has performed the complete run of two shows on Broadway and toured with popular entertainers including Michael Bolton and Barry Manilow. Jeff has an extensive discography ranging from film, TV, Broadway shows, video game soundtracks, pop and jazz music, solos, chamber, symphonic, and operatic repertoire. These recordings are on labels such as Sony Classical, Warner, Blue Note, London/Decca, Disney, Summit Records, C.B.C., and Opening Day Records. Intensely active as a soloist, chamber musician, and clinician, Mr. Nelsen has appeared at numerous international music festivals including Ravinia, Tanglewood, Blossom, Music Academy of the West, Banff, Las Vegas, and St. Barthlélemy.

He has recurring articles focusing on "Fearlessness" in the magazines of the International Horn Society, the British Horn Society, and his debut publication, "Fearless Performance" is due for release soon. Mr. Nelsen is a Yamaha performing artist and clinician. Aside from creating musical magic Jeff is an enthusiastic magician, and often adds touches of illusionary arts to performances.