Roger Nelson
Conductor, Pianist, Composer
Roger has been a fixture at Cornish College of the Arts since 1979 where he has done everything from teaching piano and music history to conducting opera. A popular chamber music pianist, Roger performed for years with the New Performance Group, a 7-member ensemble.
For thirteen seasons, Roger conducted the Bainbridge Orchestra. He conducted the Seattle Creative Orchestra, a 40-member group devoted to playing works of living composers. Roger also conducted Minnesota Opera's"New Music Theatre Ensemble" in 2 world premieres, and was a leader of the 'Floating Opera" in Seattle, featuring performances on a barge floating through Puget Sound.
Roger earned a BA in Zoology from Pomona College and an MM in Choral Conducting from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His early teachers were Adolph Baller and John Steele Ritter.
Roger currently leads the vocal ensemble Canzonetta and is a conductor for the Seattle Chinese Orchestra. He began conducting for the Seattle Chinese Orchestra in 2006 for their 21st annual music concert at Meany Hall.