ERIC NELSON arrived on the Atlanta choral scene in 1997, accepting a position as Director of Choral Studies at Emory University, where he teaches graduate choral conducting and choral literature and directs both the 40-voice Concert Choir and the 200-voice University Chorus. In 1999, he became the director of Atlanta Sacred Chorale, and more recently, the Minister of Music at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Buckhead.
     With training in voice and choral conducting from Houghton College, Westminster Choir College, and Indiana University, Dr. Nelson inspires choral artistry in singers of all ages, building excellent choral technique along with a passion for the unity of text and melody. An exceptional teacher, he draws from a breadth of experience as both professional organist and vocal performer, finding myriad ways to help singers not only learn, but also celebrate the gift of singing—as he says—“shoulder to shoulder, voice to voice, one voice lost in another, each agreeing on something beyond themselves.”
     At Emory University, where he is a recent recipient of the distinguished Arts and Humanities Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, Dr. Nelson’s Concert Choir has risen to national prominence with performances at regional and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). His choirs are also recognized internationally and have performed at major venues across Europe and the United States, including Rome, Venice, Milan, Florence, Krakow, Berlin, Leipzig, Prague, Moscow, Washington, D.C., and Carnegie Hall.
     Within the U.S., Dr. Nelson is active year round as a clinician, guest conductor, and conference headliner for national and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the Choristers Guild, and the American Guild of Organists. His inspirational music and worship sessions have also made him a favorite at denominational conferences, most recently including the Montreat Music and Worship Conference, the Baptist Music Convention, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and the conferences of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians. Dr. Nelson is a past president of the Georgia ACDA.
     The secular and sacred compositions of Eric Nelson are available from Colla Voce and Augsburg Fortress publishers and are performed by university and church choirs across the nation.