THE STORY BEHIND: Nelson's "Sarabande: For Katherine in April"

Title: Sarabande: For Katherine in April

Composer: Ron Nelson (1929-2023)
Last time performed by the Rhode Island Philharmonic: This is a RI Philharmonic Orchestra premiere. This piece is scored for two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, percussion, harp, celesta and strings.

The Story: A native of Joliet, Illinois, Ron Nelson earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees, all in music, from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. He also studied in France at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and at the Paris Conservatory under a Fulbright Grant. In 1956, Dr. Nelson joined the Brown University faculty, assuming the role of music department chair from 1963-1973, and continuing as a revered professor until his retirement in 1993. Despite his reputation as a preeminent composer for concert bands (receiving numerous commissions and high honors from the American Bandmasters Association and the John Philip Sousa Foundation, among others), Nelson admitted that the orchestra was his “true love.” Nowhere is this more apparent than in the exquisitely tender Sarabande: For Katherine in April, whose poignant moments for solo cello towards the end often leave the listener breathless.

Program Notes by Jamie Allen © 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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