Nationality: Norwegian
Field of Art: Trumpet
Trumpeter and Educator Anja-Christin Nielsen grew up in Son, Norway. She studied music and education at Volda College in Norway before she went on to study Classical Performance at the Royal Academy of Music in Denmark. Anja-Christin then moved to the US in 2005 to study trumpet with the legendary William “Prof” Fielder at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts.
Anja-Christin is an accomplished musician known for creating a smooth tone, crafting lyrical melodies and artful articulation across musical genres.
She currently lives in the New York Metropolitan area working as a trumpet player and educator. She has performed at notable venues in New York, including The Blue Note, Smoke, The Sugar Bar and Café Wha and frequently gets called to perform in Norway, most recently with Maria Mena at the Norwegian Opera House in Oslo.
She has played on several albums, including “What We Play is Life”, where she contributed on trumpet, flugel horn, vocals, percussion and co-produced. The album reached number #1 in iTunes Japan. In 2015 she was part of the album “Tears of the World” with Knut Reiersrud and Mighty Sam Maclain. The album received the prestigious “Spellemannspris”, equivalent of “The Grammy” for Norwegians.
She has studied with such greats as Clark Terry, Wiliam Fielder, Ole Edvard Antonsen and Vincent Penzarella.
Ms. Nielsen is currently a regular member of the band Pursuance and is an integral part of the Scandinavian music community in the States. Anja-Christin has performed at a variety of functions for the Norwegian Seaman’s Churches in the U.S and has been chosen to represent Norwegian Artists in NYC by performing for the Norwegian Royal Family multiple times.
As a premiere educator, Ms. Nielsen teaches numerous local private students. She is also the President of Pascal Norway-USA, an organisation whose mission is to reach underprivileged people through the arts and music. The organization aims to provide musical training for all people with special needs so that cultural activities can be accessable for everyone; especially children with disablilities, and adults suffering from substance abuse and mental illness. This organization is dear to Anja-Christin’s heart, having developed a passion for helping others through music while working for Dissimilis in Norway, a Performing Arts Center which provides arts training for children and adults with special needs.
Anja-Christin is a exceptional young trumpet player with a beautiful tone and a wonderful sense of melodicism. She is an artist to keep your eye on“
-Clark Terry.