GASSER, Nolan (1964- ); USA [all files] Black Suit Blues, for orchestra, chorus, baritone, and tenor saxophone, Op.7 (from American Festivals, for Martin Luther King, Jr., 2005) [16:41 · 22.9M] Live Recording, Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, Memphis, TN F.Mitchell, Baritone L.Miller, Tenor Saxophone Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus D.Loebel, Conductor Oration on July 4, for orchestra, chorus, and orator, Op.6 (from American Festivals, 2004) [16:01 · 22.0M] Live Recording, Spoleto Music Festival, Charleston, SC Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Chorus S.Waterston, Orator D.Stahl, Conductor Christmas by the Bay [3:47] Tim Hockenberry, Voice Nolan Gasser, Piano, Arranger Irish Easy Pieces, for tenor and traditional Irish ensemble (2003) [6:18 · 7.2M] Dennis McNeil, Tenor Todd Denman, Uillean Pipes Nolan Gasser, Piano Canzona, for oboe, piano, and strings (2003) [3:44 · 5.1M] Nolan Gasser, Piano, Realization Redwood Suite, for piano solo (2003) Nolan Gasser, Piano 1.Morning Mist [6:54 · 9.5M] 2.Solitude of the Giants [7:53 · 10.8M] 3.Minuet of the Ferns [5:32 · 7.6M] 4.Redwood Fandango [9:05 · 12.5M] Life is a Beautiful Song (2001) [4:20] Jim Salestrom, Voice, Guitar Nolan Gasser, Piano Steve Miller, Background Vocals Terry Miller, Bass Twisted Cabaret (theater piece, 2002) Overture [2:18 · 2.6M] Mary Fettig, Clarinet Nolan Gasser, Piano Terry Miller, Bass Tim Vaughan, Drums

Dr. Nolan Gasser

Dr. Nolan Gasser was born in Southern California in 1964, and is a critically acclaimed composer, pianist, conductor and arranger, as well as a published musicologist. He received his Ph.D. in Musicology in 2001 from Stanford University, where he is an Adjunct Professor in Medieval and Renaissance Music History. Nolan studied composition in Paris (and Fontainbleau) with Betsy Jolas, Gilbert Amy and Tristan Murail; received a Masters in Composition from NYU (studying with Todd Brief and Menachem Zur) and a Bachelors of Music degree from California State University, Northridge (studying with Aurelio de la Vega). He is the composer of numerous award-winning musical works, ranging in style from classical to jazz to popular, including music for the stage.

His works have been performed in such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Alice Tully Hall, and La Salle Pleyel in Paris. Among recent performances, the opening three movements of his symphonic oratorio, American Festivals (with texts by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.), have been premiered to great success: "Oration on July 4th", for orchestra, chorus, and orator, was premiered at the 2004 Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC by the Charleston Symphony and Chorus under Maestro David Stahl, and with actor Sam Waterston as orator; "Black Suit Blues" (dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr.), for orchestra, chorus, baritone, and tenor saxophone, was premiered by the Memphis Symphony and Chorus under Maestro David Loebel, with baritone Frank Mitchell, in February 2005; and "Memorial Day", for orchestra, chorus, and mezzo-soprano, was premiered in May 2006 by the Arkansas Symphony under Maestro David Itkin, with mezzo-soprano Susan Belcher, and introduced by General Wesley Clark. On July 4, 2005, his orchestral song, "The Great American" was performed at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena with the Pasadena Pops and tenor Dennis McNeil.

Upcoming symphonic performances include a reprise of "Black Suit Blues" by the Oakland and Atlanta Symphonies in 2007 and 2008, respectively; the premier of the final movement of the oratorio, "Thanksgiving", by the Santa Fe Symphony, in fall, 2007; and the premier of "Glast-Off", a work commissioned for the launch of new GLAST telescope, by the American Brass Quintet and the Boston University Orchestra under Maestro David Barg, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in early 2008.

As a pianist, Dr. Gasser performs and records regularly with marquee performers as diverse as Steve Miller, John Handy, and Carol Channing. He recently enjoyed great commercial success with his holiday song, Christmas by the Bay. Within the world of Internet Music Commerce, he holds two distinguished positions: first and foremost, he is the Artistic Director of the Classical Archives (since 2002), the largest classical website on the Internet; second, Dr. Gasser is the chief musical architect of the Music Genome Project, the musical technology behind the famous Pandora personalized Internet radio application - which has recently been featured in articles in the L.A. Times, N.Y. Times, Rolling Stone Magazine, etc. He lives in Petaluma, CA with his wife Lynn, and their two children, Camille and Preston.

Reviews

      "Nolan Gasser is young Beethoven, a remarkably gifted composer, pianist, and arranger, whose classical pieces are beginning to be performed by symphonies around the country; [he is] a mass of music: classical, jazz, rock, blues... he never fails to blow my mind."

Joel Selvin, Senior Music Critic, San Francisco Chronicle

      "The work ["Oration on July 4th"] was simply magnificent. The music is by turns stirring, elegiac, pensive, and hopeful - coming around at the end to soar forward on a tune I still have running through my head."

Dan Henninger, Wall Street Journal

      "The work ["Memorial Day"] featured stirring melodies and catchy themes."

Eric Harrison, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Dr. Nolan Gasser email: ngasser@prs.net website: http://www.nolangasser.com