Nolan Gasser is the epitome of an eclectic composer, comfortable working in a wide-range of musical genres and styles, for a wide range of instrumental and/or vocal mediums – from Pop/Rock to Contemporary Classical, from Theater to Jazz, from solo piano to full orchestra, and everywhere in between. Nolan was fortunate to have been exposed to multiple style of music during his formative years, which combined with his natural ability to synthesize disparate musical idioms and make them his own has proven a great advantage throughout his career. Since at least the age of eleven, the long tail of “classical” music has been his most commanding calling – prodding him to undertake a rigorous educational path, culminating in his obtaining a Ph.D. in Musicology from Stanford University, in 2001. Indeed, his identity as a classical composer is the most “sacred” aspect of his musical identity, and it is a source of great pride that he is able to devote so much of his time to composing orchestral, chamber, vocal, and piano works – thanks to the generosity of numerous individual and institutional patrons.
The past six years have seen the serious expansion of his compositional output and an accompanying national exposure that is still at an early stage. His orchestral and chamber works have appeared in concert halls and music festivals around the world, with recent performances by the Baltimore, Charleston, Memphis, Arkansas, Oakland, and Napa Valley Symphonies, the American Brass Quintet, the Alexander String Quartet, pianist Kimball Gallagher – who in 2008 performed his 3 Jazz Preludes at Carnegie Hall, and many others. In late 2009, his narrated symphony, Cosmic Reflection was premiered at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. (see below). In 2007, the prestigious music management firm IMG Artists, which boasts some of the world’s foremost classical musicians, signed on to promote Nolan’s large oratorio, American Festivals – beginning with a recent complete performance at the 2008 Festival del sole in Napa Valley, which featured two top vocal soloists (Jill Grove and Eric Owns) from IMG Artist’s impressive roster, along with actor Craig T. Nelson. Future performances of this oratorio are now being planned, including a large-scale project in 2012, for which details will be released shortly (see the American Festivals feature page a general intro on the piece). In 2009, the World Concerto for Cello and Orchestra was premiered to great success by acclaimed cellist Maya Beiser with the Oakland Symphony, along with a trio of international soloists. Under the direction of Nolan’s new composition rep, Joe McKesson, several upcoming performances of the World Concerto are now being pursued – details to follow (see the World Concerto feature for more details on the work).
Among the most significant new developments in Nolan’s compositional career is his 2011 commission to write a children’s opera for San Francisco Opera – based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel, The Secret Garden. The opera, with a libretto by Carey Harrison, is slated to premiere in the 2012-2013 season (see News for more details).
Another significant current classical project is Nolan’s narrated symphony, Cosmic Reflection, the second of two commissions associated with the launch and scientific mission of NASA’s Fermi (formerly GLAST) Space Telescope; the 40-minute orchestral score was recently recorded by the Baltimore Symphony under conductor Marin Alsop, in a “studio session” produced by Grammy Award winner Steven Epstein. The narration was recorded in April 2011, and a video component, under celebrated science filmmaker David Kaplan, will now go into production. The complete project will be released in 2012 (see News for more details). Cosmic Reflection was the second commission in conjunction with NASA’s Fermi Space Telescope mission; the first such commission was the GLAST Prelude, for brass quintet, which received considerable attention following its release in the wake of the Fermi launch in June 2008. More information on these two works can be found in the Cosmic Reflection and GLAST Prelude feature page – where the popular GLAST Prelude video can be seen.
Nolan’s is currently completing his 2nd String Quartet, commissioned by Mr. Robert Uhlmann. The work is in dedicated to the memory of Robert’s brother John – particularly the second movement. The work will be premiered as part of the prestigious Friends of Chamber Music series in Kansas City in their 2011-2012 season; details forthcoming.
Nolan also recently received a commission for an Overture to inaugurate the opening of the highly anticipated Green Music Center in Sonoma County by the Santa Rosa Symphony and Maestro Bruno Ferrandis. The work will be performed at the opening concert in fall 2012 (see News for more detail).
