Susan T. Nelson (formerly Sylvester) has been published as since 1991 and has nearly 200 compositions and arrangements in print with 20 different major publishers. Her works have been featured at many festivals such as the “Ring in Praise” seminars in Dunblane Cathedral, Scotland; 2011 Hong Kong Handbell Festival; AGEHR 2010 Distinctly Bronze East, New Bern, NC; and have been recorded by many ensembles, including Embellish, Grand Rapids, MI; Campanelli Handbell Ensemble, Tallinn, Estonia; and Handglockenchor, Hannover, Germany. Commissions include writing original compositions for such prestigious groups as Bells of the Cascades, Portland, OR; Deborah S. Rice (Past President of AGEHR); Michele Sharik, soloist; RingOut! Ensemble, San Diego, CA; and Velocity Handbell Ensemble, Oakland, CA. Last year, one of her arrangements was used for a TV commercial in Estonia.
Ms. Nelson was awarded the 1999 AGEHR McKeehan Scholarship, and has received an ASCAPlus Award every year since she first applied in 2008. She has studied in master class with Donald Allured, Cynthia Dobrinski, and in seminars with Katsumi Kodama, and Kathleen Ebling-Shaw. Constantly pushing the envelope, Susan is always looking for unique ways to enhance handbell literature. A list of her innovations may be found here.
As a clinician, she has taught composition, orchestration, score study, music theory, and various handbell technique classes at workshops and AGEHR Festival Conferences; and has served as Historian on the AGEHR Area II Executive Board. She has worked with children of all ages for 30+ years and is the author of “KidzRing™” an innovative series of books designed for very young ringers.
Susan holds a B.A. degree in music theory and composition from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. While at Rutgers, she studied with noted composers Barbara Benary, Philip Corner and Daniel Goode. Graduate music education studies at Trenton State College led to New Jersey teacher certification. She is proficient on 7 musical instruments: piano, organ, harpsichord, handbells, recorder, guitar and flute.
A church musician since 1974, Ms. Nelson is employed as Director of Music at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Hamilton, NJ, where she serves as organist and directs a thriving vocal and handbell program. She is also employed as a Library Technical Assistant at Talbott Library, Westminster Choir College, Princeton, NJ.
