Brandon Nelson

I normally don’t enter competitions, but this one piqued my attention. The Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra announced a young composer’s prize and I, being from the same region as Duluth, thought I’d give it a shot. My piece ended up winning and they performed it twice–at the premier and at a concert about a year later. It was a real honor and the performance was quite nice.

About the Piece

Pax Aeterna (“the peace eternal”) is a musical prayer for lasting peace in the world. Using a simple, plaintive melody as its basis, the orchestra brings the listener through dramatic peaks and valleys reflecting on the struggle of realizing the goal of peace.