Nelson Everhart

Nelson Everhart (born March 25, 1974) is an American composer and music educator. He primarily composes for video games and media. Everhart’s career in the video game industry has lasted for over 20 years. He is known for composing the scores for Wizard101 and Pirate101. Everhart usually composes with MIDI, but he frequently incorporates live sounds and professional musicians into his music.

Nelson Everhart
Born (1974-03-25) March 25, 1974
Genresgame music, electronic
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, teacher
InstrumentsKeyboard, trumpet
Years active1996–present
Websitewww.nelsoneverhart.com

Early life and education

Everhart was born a musical family on the east coast of the United States. At an early age he was attracted to the scores of John Williams, such as Star Wars, which he credits for attracting him to composing.[1] Throughout High School he conducted and arranged music for musical theater.[2] Everhart studied composition at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario. While in college he co-founded the Not Affiliated Big Band, a long running big band group from Ontario.[3] Nelson is the brother of bassist Robin Everhart, who was once a member of the band Rival Sons.

Career

Everhart’s first job in the video game industry was as an Audio Producer for Gray Matter Interactive, where he primarily composed for film to video game adaptations such as The Crow: City of Angels.[4] After that, he landed a job at Acclaim Entertainment and moved to Austin, Texas. While at Acclaim he composed music for some of their most recognizable titles such as Vexx and Turok: Evolution.[5][6] He collaborated with instrumentalists from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Ballet, such as famed Cincinnati violinist Paul Patterson.[5] In 2004, under the direction of Michael Giacchino, Everhart composed additional music for the video game Alias. He has also collaborated with Bootsy Collins on NBA Jam.[3]

Everhart has composed several concert works, including a piece for the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble and a piece for Art York’s 25th anniversary in 2006.[7][3] He also composed a collection of standalone compositions called "The Lost Levels".

In 2008 Everhart joined KingsIsle Entertainment to compose music for their then upcoming MMO Wizard101, beginning a long running collaboration. In 2012 Everhart composed the music for Kingsisle's second MMO, Pirate101. As of 2020 Everhart continues to compose music for the updates of both games.

In the spring of 2015 ArtCraft Entertainment announced that Everhart had joined their team to compose music for their new MMO Crowfall. In fall of 2018 Everhart officially started composing the music for the game, which is still in development.[8]

In May of 2020 it was announced that his classic score for Vexx would be released on vinyl by Respawned Records.[9] An official album for Turok: Evolution was released by Nimbus Records.[10]

Everhart is currently a professor of audio engineering at Cincinnati State Technical College.[11] He also runs a YouTube channel where he discusses the background and inner workings of some of his popular compositions.

Style

Everhart's style varies widely, but his music is mainly large thematic orchestral works. His early score for Vexx is a fusion of electronic and orchestral elements. The score still retains its popularity 15 years later.[9] His music for Wizard101 is credited as being nostalgic to many people's childhoods, most notably the themes for Wizard City and Marleybone. Everhart notes Wizard City, Celestia, and Zafaria as being his favorite worlds to compose for.[12]

Works

Video games

Film and media
  • An Inconvenient Egg (2006) – short film
  • Wizard101 (2008) – commercials
  • Pirate101 (2012) – commercials

References
  1. "Evolution Interviews - Episode 1: Nelson Everhart". Turok Sanctum. January 23, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  2. Everhart, Nelson (August 24, 2013). "Music in the Gaming Industry – Getting a Job as a Game Composer". Kingsisle Blog. Kingsisle Entertainment. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  3. "Bio". nelsoneverhart. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  4. "Nelson Everhart biography". Last.fm. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  5. "Vexx (2003) Xbox credits". MobyGames. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  6. "Turok: Evolution (2002) GameCube credits". MobyGames. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  7. "Austin Civic Wind Ensemble | In tune with Austin since 1975". acwe.org. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  8. Lancaster, Max (September 25, 2018). "The Music of Crowfall". crowfall.com. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  9. "Respawned Records announces Vexx soundtrack vinyl". Gaming Audio News. May 8, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  10. "Turok Evolution GBA, Album". Film Music Site. Numbus Records. October 14, 2002. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  11. "Cincinnati State Full-Time & Adjunct Faculty" (PDF). Cincinnati State.
  12. "Wizard101 Dev Diary: Musician and Composer, Nelson Everhart". Wizard101. Kingsisle Entertainment. May 14, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
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