Nathaniel Fox Beversluis: About

Nate Beversluis is a conductor, composer, pianist and teacher based in North Carolina. He is Music Director of the Music Theatre program and Performing Arts Department at Elon University, Assistant Conductor of Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Nate began composing and playing piano and violin at a young age. He refused to practice Hanon exercises, hymns, or anything by Edward MacDowell. Confounding one piano teacher after another, he learned music by reading and playing from scores, listening to records, composing, and staying hours after school to extract wisdom from his school orchestra conductor. Even an abysmal academic record and numerous adamant admissions officers failed to prevent him from attending music school. He holds a B.M. in Jazz Studies from Indiana University and an M.M. in Orchestral Conducting from CCM (College-Conservatory of Music) at the University of Cincinnati, where he was also pianist and Associate Conductor for the Music Theater program.

As a conductor he previously worked for Seaside Music Theatre (Daytona Beach, FL), University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL), Tri-Cities Opera (Binghamton, NY), and Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca (Lucca, Italy). He studied with Mark Gibson, Xian Zhang, Roger Grodsky, and J. Karla Lemon.

His professional activities as a conductor enable his composing and jazz club habits, both of which are wildly out of control. While in Central Florida he was a member of the Stan Soloko Trio at Heidi’s Jazz Club (Cocoa Beach), had a regular trio at Houston’s Restaurant (Orlando), and was active as a freelance musician throughout the state. Artists he has accompanied include Petula Clark, George Sakellariou, Annie Sellick, Simone Kopmajer, and Marietta Simpson. He studied jazz piano with Phil DeGreg, Lynne Arriale, Mike Lucas and Luke Gillespie.

His interests as a composer include combining jazz and classical musicians in music that is part composed, part improvised. He is currently working on an album of improvisational chamber music (more here). He was twice a composition fellow at the Henry Mancini Institute where he studied composition and arranging with Jack Smalley and Vince Mendoza. He also studied with Michael Schelle and Eugene O’Brien. His compositions have won awards from ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) and BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.).

Nate’s most recent appearance at Lincoln Center was to purchase tickets at the box office.

Nathaniel Fox Beversluis

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