Prof. to perform with brass quintet

Jeff Nelsen, Jacobs School of Music horn professor first saw Canadian Brass perform when he was 12 years old. Tonight he will join the brass quintet on the Buskirk-Chumley Theater stage.

“We are looking forward to Canadian Brass, they are the formalist brass players in the world, and we are excited to present them at the theater,” said Buskirk Theater director Danielle McClelland.

Canadian Brass was also named WFIU’s Artist of the Month for February.
Their performance will include classical and jazz styles, as well as music by The Beatles.

“It is a great way to celebrate the connection with the community and Indiana University with Jeff Nelson performing,” McClelland said. “We know the audience is going to love the performance.”

Nelsen auditioned for an opening for Canadian Brass in 1998 but came short as the runner-up. A position opened in 2000, and he was selected.

“It was like a dream to record a few CDs a year and travel the world,” Nelsen said.

Nelsen maintains traveling and performing throughout the year by keeping a Google calendar with his students. He also has 7 a.m. daily warm-up lessons.

“It is a thrilling and exhausting crazy schedule but I love it,” Nelsen said. “I’ll sleep in the next decade.” Nelsen said.

He said teaching and performing both give him energy and feed off each other.

“All the teaching has made me a better performer. I’ve never been as good as I am right now, and my teaching is better from being on stage,” he said.

Nelsen said he is looking forward to performing what he preaches to his students.

“The next day I’ll ask them to tell me what they liked as well as what I can do better,” he said.

Sophomore Lauren Migalski, a member of the Nelsen Studio, said she is attending the show in support of her professor.

“He performs for us in class, but we don’t get to hear him play with the quintet often, so this is a good opportunity,” Migalski said. 

Junior Jenny Smoak, another member of the Nelsen studio, said she thinks it is great Canadian Brass is performing in town.

“I was studying in Vienna this summer and I went to Bromberg, Germany, just to see them and now they are coming to Bloomington,” Smoak said.