| Biography | Norman Nelson was born in Dublin, Ireland. He began violin studies at age 10, and when he was 15 he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London. He held the position of Assistant Concertmaster with the Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Philharmonia and the London Symphony.
He was a founding member of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the London Octet. In 1965 Norman was appointed Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and soon after, formed the internationally acclaimed Purcell String Quartet.
In 1979 he was appointed Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and Leader of the University String Quartet. He was Conductor of the Academy Strings and the University Symphony Orchestra.
In 2007 Maestro Nelson was awarded the Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award, a national award presented to individuals or organizations that have made a sustained and significant contribution over a number of years to the Canadian orchestral community, with an emphasis on leadership, education and volunteerism. |