David James Nielsen ‘Reclaiming the Blade’

CG Today : In your bio, you share that one of your first jobs was teaching children, ages 4 - 14, basic music principals. Tell us how you liked teaching.

David : I enjoy teaching because I like to help people understand how music works, so that they can learn to play it and enjoy it in their own lives.

CG Today : Name a few composers who have inspired you. What is it about their music that has moved you?

David : Some of the composers that have inspired me from their work in television and cinema include: John Williams, James Horner, James Newton Howard, Ryuchi Sakamoto, Michael Stearns, Jerry Goldsmith, Howard Shore, Danny Elfman, Christopher Young, Elmer Bernstein, Velton Ray Bunch, Cyril Morin, Elliot Goldenthal, A.R. Rahman, Henry Mancini, Bernard Herrmann, Franz Waxman, and Alex North. Some of my other musical influences are: John Adams, Saint Saens, Claude Debussy, Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Allan Gordon Bell, Igor Stravinsky, Gustav Holst, George Gershwin, Maurice Ravel, U2, The Police, Sting, Mason Bates, Toru Takemitsu, Richard Strauss, and György Ligeti.

I have been moved by these composers and songwriters because of their great melodies in their work, and because of their musical sensibilities that have captured my imagination in a profound way.

CG Today : A.R.Rahman! Interesting, will you be interested composing for Indian film / animation projects, have you ever thought about that?

David : Yes, I would be interested in composing for Indian film and animation projects, as I have an interest and love for Indian music in general. I very much enjoy hearing what Bollywood has to offer.

CG Today : As difficult as this question is, do you have one film that you have scored that has a more special place in your heart than others?

David : As I think about it, each one of the scores I have composed, has had moments in the music that I have added a special place in my heart for. I can't really think of just one in particular.

CG Today : What do you listen to on your iPod?

David : Lately I've been listening to the music of Anugama, Rihanna, John Williams, John Adams (The Chairman Dances), Michael Jackson, James Horner, A.R. Rahman… to name just of few. I enjoy an eclectic mix, as there are so many genres of music that have such great melodies, lyrics, and harmonies.

CG Today : The concert you, and several other conductors, performed for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Operations in Los Angeles, 2006, was a charity event to raise money for the victims of Katrina and the survivors of the 2004 Southeast Asia Tsunami Disaster. Was that a particularly heartwarming event?

David : Yes. That was one of the most wonderful, heartfelt, memorable, and very gratifying projects I have ever worked on.

CG Today : Great, what is your next project?

David : I'm in Fergus Falls, MN, at the moment for the 2010 McKnight Visiting Composer Program in conjunction with the American Composers Forum. I'm working on a project called "The Minnesota Woman" which consists of both composing a piece for the Fargo-Moorhead Area Youth Symphony about "The Minnesota Woman" (who is considered to be an American Indian ancestor, and one of the older of any human skeleton found in North America), and conducting a drum and percussion workshop with emphasis on current Native American music (and its possible links dating back to the time of "The Minnesota Woman"), for school students in Pelican Rapids, MN.   The focus has also been on studying some aspects of the way of life of people who lived during the Paleo-Indian and Eastern Archaic periods.

"The Minnesota Woman" was determined to be a 15 year old girl, and is believed to have lived approximately 8,700 years ago (7,800 radiocarbon years). Her skeletal remains were discovered in 1931 by a highway department crew close to Prairie Lake, just north of the city of Pelican Rapids, MN, in Otter Tail County. A conch shell pendant and antler dagger were also discovered with the skeletal remains. These interesting facts have provided the backbone for the creation of the orchestral piece. The students in the workshop have also created a fictional storyline about how "The Minnesota Woman" may have acquired the conch shell pendant and antler dagger. The story is a love story. The end result of this project will be to have the students from the drum and percussion workshop play along with the Fargo-Moorhead Area Youth Symphony in a concert performance of '"The Minnesota Woman".

CG Today : Hope you have a lot to work on, thank you for speaking with us, we will be looking forward to your next score.

David : Thanks for the opportunity to have this interview. These were great questions, and I wish you all the best.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David James Nielsen - Music Composer,

Website:
http://www.davidjamesnielsen.com/ | http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1056760/

e-mail :
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------