Long Bio

26904580_10210564355697233_1270280391688821054_n — Nathan in an aboslutely 100% candid shot with Caroline Shaw, after the reading with Roomful of Teeth at GSU.

Nathan Bales is an award winning composer of contemporary classical music, and has been described as a ‘young lion in Atlanta’s contemporary classical music scene’ (WAPS, 2014). With over 50 concerts involving his music within the past two years, he has been performed by groups like the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO), The American Modern Ensemble, Chiaro Trio, The Kennesaw State University Trombone Choir, The Composer’s Concord Chamber Orchestra, Clarinets for Conservation, The Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra (APO), and many independent musicians in the Atlanta area.

Selfie with composer John Mackey at the premiere of his "Fanfare for Full Fathom Five" — Selfie with composer John Mackey at the premiere of his “Fanfare for Full Fathom Five”

Nathan Bales began his musical education at the age of 9, when he began to play trumpet in his elementary school’s concert band. Since then, he has played in many youth groups like the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO). He had shown interest in writing music very early on, and started composing seriously at the age of 16. At the age of 17 his piece ‘Driving Light’, which is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., won the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s (ASO) ‘Next Generation Composition Competition’- and became the first student to win with an already orchestrated score, and was awarded four extra performances due to the piece’s early and unsuspected readiness for the upcoming season. It was performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra four times in December 2013, and five times in January 2014.
Nathan has been studying composition for four years and currently studies privately with composer David Ludwig, the Gie and Lisa Liem Dean of Artistic Programs and Performance at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He was also recently awared the Theodore Presser Scholarship from GSU, a nationally recognized scholarship awarded to one student in the school of music per year.

Nathan’s catalogue is entirely self-published, and all scores are available for purchase through his email. Rentals and PDFS are available. He also currently works as a freelance music engraver, doing anything from Orchestral Parts to Big Band Charts.