Marie Barker-Nelson

Marie Barker Nelson has a Ph.D degree from the University of Utah and has also graduated from the Yale School of Music where she studied with Paul Hindemith. She currently works with Bruce Reich.

Her first symphony, “The Medead” was premiered bu the Utah Symphony and has been recorded by the Slovak Radio Symphony. Her second symphony, “Hodeeyaada” was premiered and recorded by the Manhattan Sinfornia in New York City and has subsequently been performed in Gainesville, Florida and also by the Utah Symphony.

Her third symphonic work, “Symphonic Fantasy on Orpheus Lex” based on her opera, has been recorded by the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz, who also recorded her “Culinary Concerto for Clarinet” with Richard Stoltzman as soloist.

Marie was the recipient of the Utah Symphony commission in 1997 with the premiere taking place of “Ode to Antigone” at the Utah Arts Festival that year. It was recorded by the London Symphony this past July.

“The Rocky Mountains”, a symphonic poem, was premiered and recorded in Lincoln Center in 1998 by the New York Chamber Symphony under Gerard Schwarz and her latest symphony, “Universe” was premiered last year in Boston and also in Prague by the Czech Radio Symphony of Prague under Vladimir Valek.

Last year her “Concerto for Cello, Harp, Percussion and Strings”, a Barlow commission, was premiered in New York City by “Concordia” under Marian Alsop.

She recently completed a commission for a sonata for flute and piano, “Songs of the Moon” for principal flutist of the Salt Lake Symphony, Laurel Ann Maurer. This work was premiered in the Merkin Hall in New York City on April 27, 2000 and in Salt Lake City on May 6th, 2000 and has now been released on CD.

Marie has been nominated for the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award and has also received the Merit of Honor Award from the University of Utah.

The “Symphony of the Millenium” was commissioned by the Salt Lake Symphony with a grant from the Utah Zoo, Arts & Parks Council and was heard in its world premiere performance on October 6, 2000 in Abravanel Hall.