Jordan Nielsen

Percussionist, educator, and performer Jordan Nielsen is originally from Utah and relocated to Columbia, MO, in 2019.  He graduated from the University of Missouri with a Master of Music in Performance and an Arts Entrepreneurship Certificate. At MU, he was a percussionist for the school’s New Music Ensemble -- the repertory ensemble of the Mizzou New Music Initiative. He received a BM in Percussion Performance from Southern Utah University and was recognized by the college faculty as the “Outstanding Graduate in Music.”

Since graduating from MU, Jordan has been appointed as the Director of Education and Outreach for the Missouri Symphony. Jordan maintains an active teaching presence with the Hickman High School Marching Band’s front ensemble, achieving high ratings under his leadership, including recognition as “Best Percussion Section” in 2019. His private students have been awarded first-place prizes at the Mid-Missouri Day of Percussion and state and district festivals. From 2020-22, he was the percussion coach for the Missouri Symphony Conservatory. He is a regular performer with the Heartland Marimba Ensemble, the Missouri Symphony, the Odyssey Chamber Series, and other groups in the Midwest. 

Recent projects include runs of the opera Die Fledermaus and the musicals Little Shop of Horrors, Fun Home, and 42nd Street. In 2019 he premiered and arranged the percussion ensemble arrangement of Robert Oetomo’s concerto for marimba, Soar. In competition, he has been awarded 1st place in the Chamber Music category (2015 Utah Day of Percussion), 1st place in the College Timpani Solo category (2017 UDP), 2nd place in the College Keyboard Solo Category (2019 UDP), and achieved a “Superior” rating in the Collegiate Marimba Category at the 2020 Mid-Missouri Percussive Arts Trophy and recognized as an “Emerging Artist” at MU in 2022. You can learn more about him and his upcoming projects at jnpercussion.com.