Work hard when you need to, but also take time to appreciate the people around you and do the things that bring you joy

Kimberly Nelson is a trombone fellow with the New World Symphony. She recently earned her Bachelor’s Degree from The Juilliard School, where she studied under Joseph Alessi as a Kovner Fellow. During her time in New York, Kimberly was a member of the Metropolis Brass Quintet, performing regular recitals and making their Carnegie Hall debut in June 2026. At Juilliard, she served the broader community as a Morse Teaching Artist Fellow, a Gluck Community Service Fellow, and a Student Ambassador.

Kimberly has performed with orchestras in distinguished venues throughout Europe, including the Concertgabouw in Amsterdam and Konzerthaus Berlin, and recently performed in the BBC Proms under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen. She regularly performs as a guest with professional orchestras such as the New Jersey Symphony and the Richmond Symphony.

Kimberly has performed as a soloist with the Eastern Music Festival orchestra, and was one of three finalists for the Robert Marsteller competition held by the International Trombone Association in both 2024 and 2025. She has attended major festivals including the Spoleto Festival USA, Music Academy of the West, and the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz.

A 2022 graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, Kimberly studied with Thomas Riccobono and appeared as a soloist in Studio A for the Interlochen Public Radio. Originally from Grapevine, Texas, she is an alumna of both the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Philharmonic and the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra. Besides trombone, Kimberly enjoys taking aerial hoop classes, making social media content, singing, and songwriting.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF! WHAT WAS YOUR MUSICAL JOURNEY LIKE, AND WHAT KEEPS YOU INSPIRED?

I was born in Grapevine, Texas and attended school in Colleyville. I was always drawn to music as a kid, as my mom is a professional pianist and my dad a guitar hobbyist. I made music in any way I could, whether that be messing around on our grand piano, singing songs in harmony with my sister, or going to weekly string orchestra rehearsals in elementary school (I picked up the cello but never took it very seriously.)

When I was in fifth grade, I wanted to follow in my sister’s footsteps and join the middle school band so I attended my future middle school’s instrument drive with my mom and my sister. My sister was actually the one who encouraged me to try the trombone, and my band director ended up placing me on it, as it was the most natural embouchure for me.

I stay inspired by listening to and watching artists of any kind, whether those be classical musicians, musicians of other genres, or artists of other forms such as dancing or ice-skating. I am particularly inspired by artists who exude joy and/or tell a story during their performances.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM GDYO? HOW DID GDYO IMPACT YOU?

Since I was in GDYO during the pandemic, it was very special to see our virtual rendition of Hungarian March when it came out. I was impressed by how good we could sound, even when recording separately, and it was cool to be a part of an orchestra during such an isolated time. GDYO propelled me to move forward with music during that time, and it gave me valuable experiences such as the concerto competition and virtual masterclasses. It also allowed me to meet and play with other passionate musicians who I still bump into at various festivals and programs to this day.

WHAT WAS YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE LIKE?

My experience at Juilliard was intense and very formative in my journey as a musician. Along with refining my technique and musicality on the instrument, I learned how to be disciplined, a better listener and collaborator, and a more versatile artist. Being located in the middle of New York City, I got to rub shoulders with world-renowned artists and experience so much culture. I am truly grateful for the four years of opportunities I experienced while studying there.

For college auditions, I recommend sorting out your repertoire as early as possible. Then do the preparation in the practice room over the months leading up to them—isolate tricky parts of the excerpts, listen to recordings, work with a metronome/drone, all while keeping up your fundamentals of course :). As the auditions get closer, play as many mock auditions as possible. On the day of, shake the professors’ hands and play from your heart. As long as you’ve done the preparation in the practice room, you’re ready and all you have to do is be yourself.

WHAT IS THE PROFESSIONAL AUDITION EXPERIENCE LIKE? WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT THE NEW WORLD SYMPHONY?

Professional audition experiences vary for each audition. Sometimes they are behind a screen, and other times they are not. Sometimes you just play orchestral excerpts, while other times you may have to play a solo with a pianist with whom you’ve never rehearsed with. In my experience, there is always a warmup room and a proctor to make sure you know when and where you need to be. An audition can be nerve-wracking, but it’s also a fun opportunity to play in a beautiful hall and learn more about your personal preparation process.

There are so many parts of New World Symphony I am excited for, including the concert programs, masterclasses, creative projects, and wellness opportunities. Currently, I am most excited to grow with the low brass section, establishing our sound and building our blend throughout the year, in a way that fits in with and adds to the orchestra as a whole.

TAKE US THROUGH A DAY IN YOUR LIFE!

I find balance to be a very important part of my life and mental health. I put in the work when it’s time to, but I always make time for friends, family, and things that bring me joy. Not only are they important parts of my life separately from music, but without these, I would not be the artist that I am. Human connection and experience is what art is based off of, so they can only add to its depth.

A current day in my life usually starts with a slow morning, in which I’ll make myself a yogurt bowl and iced coffee and listen to my Spotify playlists (lately a lot of The Marias and Dogpark) while doing my makeup and getting ready for the day. We usually have morning rehearsals, so I try to arrive at the hall around 9:00-9:30am to do my fundamentals routine and warm up for the day of playing. Rehearsal usually lasts from 10:00am-1:00pm, and afterwards I walk home to my apartment to make myself lunch. My afternoons and evenings are filled with practicing, social time (possibly going to the beach with friends here or FaceTiming my long-distance friends), and moving my body in some way. Currently I love yoga and pole classes, and I always make time to go to at least one aerial hoop class per week, as that is a big passion of mine outside of music. At night, I either spend some time singing while playing guitar or keyboard, or I watch a couple episodes of Gossip Girl. 🙂

WHAT LIFE ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF SO FAR AND WHY?

My biggest points of pride are not exactly from what I have achieved, but rather from overcoming my fears around trying. For example, I am proud of myself for performing in the Eastern Music Festival Concerto Competition Winners’ Concert, not because I was one of the winners, but because performing a solo from memory in front of a large audience was very scary to me, especially as that is not often something that brass players do. I am proud of myself for facing my fear, playing from my heart, and pouring myself into that performance onstage.

Another example is with my social media. I used to be too afraid to post videos publicly, because I was scared of what people might think of me. I am extremely proud of myself for facing that fear and posting in spite of it. Even if I can just impact one person positively, that is worth whatever judgement I might receive from people who see my content.

I am proud of myself for moving to Michigan when I was 17 to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy, even though I was so scared to move across the country without my family. I am proud of myself for showing up to every audition that I was scared to play at, asking for things that I was scared to ask for, and approaching people I was scared to approach. Ever since high school, I have believed that if something feels scary or out of my comfort zone, that probably means I should do it.

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER HOBBIES OR LIFE GOALS?

For the last year, I have been loving taking aerial arts classes, specifically aerial hoop, or “lyra.” The classes involve learning different shapes and sequences on a large metal hoop that hangs from the ceiling and rotates around as you are performing on it. I love how strong, beautiful, and free it makes me feel. I leave every class feeling better than when I walked in.

I also very much enjoy singing and songwriting, which I have done for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my older sister and I would make up songs together and perform them for our family. Nowadays I often accompany my singing with guitar or keyboard, and sometimes I still go into Garage Band to play with tracks and harmonies. It is an emotional outlet for me, and something that brings me a lot of joy.

Along with those, I have a passion for travel. I want to see as much of the world as possible and experience different cultures, languages, and communities. My favorite thing to do while traveling is going out in nature, whether that be hiking, swimming, or just walking and enjoying the earth’s beauty. There is nothing more serene to me than swimming in a lake and gazing out at mountains. My favorite places I have experienced this peace are Lake Bled in Slovenia and Lake Lugano in Switzerland.

ANY ADVICE FOR OUR ASPIRING YOUNG MUSICIANS?

Be kind and patient with yourself. You have so much time to achieve your dreams and get to where you want to go. If anything, I wish I slowed down more in the past and really enjoyed the moment I was in. Work hard when you need to, but also take time to appreciate the people around you and do the things that bring you joy. One day you will be nostalgic for this time in your life (that applies to everyone, no matter how old you are). Also, be true to yourself and don’t let other people’s opinions stop you from putting yourself out there. Remember, if it brings you out of your comfort zone, you should probably do it!

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SHARING THE ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT OR WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE GDYO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, 
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