(b. 1929)
A native of Joliet, Illinois, Ron Nelson received his bachelor of music degree in 1952, the master’s degree in 1953, and the doctor of musical arts degree in 1957, all from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. He studied in France at the Ecole Normale de Musique and at the Paris Conservatory under a Fulbright Grant in 1955. In 1991, Nelson was awarded the Acuff Chair of Excellence in the Creative Arts, the first musician to hold the chair. In 1993, his Passacaglia (Homage on B-A-C-H) made history by winning all three major wind band compositions – the National Association Prize, the American Bandmasters Association Ostwald Prize, and the Sudler International Prize. Ron Nelson has received numerous commissions, including those from the National Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, the USAF Band and Chorus, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Aspen Music Festival and countless colleges and universities. He has also received grants and awards from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Howard Foundation, ASCAP, and several from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Ron Nelson Composition Timpani and Percussion Requirements
Five Pieces for Orchestra after Paintings by Andrew Wyeth
Timpani + 3 percussion + celesteTubular bells, glockenspiel, marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, celeste
__________________________________________________________________________________
Mass of Saint La Salle
No Timpani + 2 percussion + 2 marimbas + 2 vibraphones
Glockenspiel, tubular bells, 2 octaves crotales, triangle, gong, suspended cymbal, orchestral bass drum, bongos
__________________________________________________________________________________
Rocky Point Holiday
Timpani + 3 percussion
Glockenspiel, vibraphone, xylophone
__________________________________________________________________________________
This Is the Orchestra - Jubilee
Timpani + 3 percussion
Tubular bells, glockenspiel, xylophone
__________________________________________________________________________________
Toccata for Orchestra
Timpani + 4 percussion
Tubular bells, triangle, xylophone, snare drum, tam tam, clash cymbals, orchestral bass drum, vibraphone, tenor drum, anvil
_________________________________________________________________________________Trilogy
JFK-MLK-RFK
Timpani + 2 percussion + celeste
Tubular bells, glockenspiel, vibraphone, xylophone, celeste
__________________________________________________________________________________
What is Man?
Timpani + 3 percussion + celeste
Tubular bells, glockenspiel, vibraphone, xylophone, celeste
__________________________________________________________________________________