Brian Nabors

Assistant Professor of Composition

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Biography

The son of a church musician & pastor, Birmingham, Alabama native Brian Raphael Nabors was surrounded by an incredible wealth of musical activity. His unique upbringing thrust him into the worlds of R&B/Neo Soul, Jazz, Funk and Black marching band culture. Before declaring a major in architecture, he pivoted and embraced his passion for musical creation, pursuing a life in music. Throughout his educational journey, his interest in modern music grew widely and led him to exploring new ways of fusing sound worlds.

This adventurous, innovative spirit has led to the creation of cutting-edge works, including a “Concerto for Hammond Organ” and a thrilling “Concerto for Orchestra“ that embraces nearly every sector of the American soundscape.

Nabors’ music has been performed by the Boston Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Munich Symphony, & Chineke!, among others. His music has been performed at many venues and events internationally, including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Helsinki Festival, and the Lucerne Festival. In the United States: Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, Texas Music Educators Association Conference,and International Double Reed Society. He has also worked with artists such as the Atlanta Chamber Players, Apollo Chamber Players, Dallas's Voices of Change, Boston Musica Viva and the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings.

Nabors is the recipient of the 2025 A.I. duPont Composition Award from the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, 2024 Young Alumni Award recipient from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, 2020 Fulbright Fellowship recipient to Sydney, Australia, 2021 Tanglewood composition fellow, 2019 Nashville Symphony composer fellow, 2019 ACO Earshot composer fellow with the Detroit Symphony, and 2019 national grand prize winner of the Rapido! Composition Contest.

He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and Masters Degree in composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he studied with Douglas Knehans, Ellen Ruth Harrison and Miguel A. Roig-Francolí. He holds a Bachelor of Music Theory & composition degree from the School of the Arts at Samford University in Birmingham, AL, where he studied composition with Sarana Chou and piano with Kathryn Fouse.