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Laura Nelson is an acclaimed alphorn performer, composer, and educator whose work bridges the traditional roots of the alphorn with a bold, distinctly American voice. A frequent competitor and performer across the U.S. and Switzerland, she earned top honors including First Place Soloist at the North American Alphorn Festival (2011), Second Place Soloist at the prestigious Festival International de Cor des Alpes in Nendaz (2012), and Second Place in ensemble performance at the Berner Cantonal Jodlefest (2009). With academic degrees in music emphasizing French horn and piano, Nelson also spent over two decades studying piano and philosophy under Natalia Martirosova, leading her to explore the intersections of music, Jungian psychology, and philosophical alchemy.

 

Her performance career spans stages from The Met to the Sunset Strip and alpine vistas of Europe. A passionate advocate for bringing the alphorn to new audiences, she premiered Jean Daetwyler’s Concerto No. 1 for Alphorn and Orchestra for American audiences and has served on the faculty of the Schweizer Alphornschule in Schönried, Switzerland, as well as numerous U.S. workshops and universities.

 

As a composer, Laura Nelson is recognized for pioneering an expressive and intentionally American approach to alphorn writing, expanding the instrument’s emotional and stylistic range. Her 2015 recording Prairie Song: The Alphorns of Salzburg Echo showcases this vision. In addition to alphorn works, her recent compositions explore new genres, such as a series for soprano, cello, and piano based on the poetry of Emily Dickinson, premiered at the Chautauqua Institution and interpreted through a Jungian lens.

 

All of Laura Nelson’s original alphorn compositions and arrangements are now published and available exclusively through AlpenMuse.com, her new publishing venture in partnership with Alpensong, dedicated to expanding the reach and repertoire of the alphorn worldwide.