Daniel Nelson's music has often been praised for its powerful rhythmic energy as well as colorful orchestration. He has mainly written orchestral music, but has also had great success with his operas and works for dance.
Daniel Nelson (b. 1965) has had close collaborations with several of the Swedish orchestras, which has resulted in works such as Clarinet concerto, the orchestral fanfare Force of a Rainbow as well as his tuba concerto Metallëphônic which has become a standard work in the international tuba repertoire. Among his most performed orchestral works is the effective opening piece Steampunk Blizzard(2016) which was commissioned by the Orchester National d'île de France and has since been played around Europe and on tour with the Gothenburg Symphony and Santtu-Matias Rouvali.
Nelson's music has often been performed by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. They also ordered his Chaplin Songs(2020), an oratorio for orchestra, chorus and soprano solo with text from the final monologue in Charlie Chaplin's film "The Dictator". A deeply moving work, and a tribute to democracy, peace and freedom. Camilla Tilling was a soloist in the premiere in 2022 together with The Radio Symphonies and the Radio Choir under the direction of Andrew Manze. Chaplin Songs was awarded the Musikföreningen i Stockholm's composer award in 2023.
Nelson has composed operas for both the Royal Opera, Sleep Awake, and for the Vadstena Academy, Pride & Prejudice and The Ghost Machine.
Among the many dance works and ballets for which he has written the music should be mentioned #I,a commission from the Royal Opera, andThe little prince, which was commissioned by the Nordic Chamber Orchestra and Norrdans to celebrate their 30th and 25th anniversaries respectively.
In 2015, Daniel Nelson received the prestigious Carin Malmlöf-Forssling Prize from the Royal Academy of Music. He graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music (BM, 1989) and the University of Chicago (MA, 1992) where his principal composition teachers were Jean Eichelberger-Ivey and Ralph Shapey. Since 1992 he has lived and worked in Stockholm.
The song cycle I am Monster composed for the soprano Johanna Wallroth and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra recieced its premiere in 2024. Upcoming commissions include a concerto for self-playing piano and orchestra for the Norrland Opera Symphony Orchestra.
