Jeff Nelsen
Jeff Nelsen is professor of horn at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and founder of Fearless Performance LLC, a company that focuses on training musicians and others to consistently perform their best. One of the many Canadian pig-farm-raised magician horn players in the world, he has thrilled audiences and mentored students for over 20 years. Probably best known for his time touring and recording with Canadian Brass, Nelsen has also performed on six continents, in the horn sections of dozens of orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, and the Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Montreal, and St. Louis symphonies. Since giving his celebrated 2011 TEDx Talk about Fearless Performance, he has been training fellow TED Talk presenters, teachers, athletes, and business people in giving their own Fearless Performances. A huge Broadway musical fan, Nelsen played the premiere run of two Broadway shows that were nominated for Tony awards: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Sherman Brothers) and The Pirate Queen (Boublil and Schönberg). He has toured with popular entertainers including Barry Manilow and Michael Bolton, recorded with Michael Buble and the pop band Barenaked Ladies, and performed on movie and video game soundtracks. He most enjoys performing with his wife, mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen, on recital and orchestral pops series.