COMPOSER & CELLIST
Iconic · Eloquent · Gracious · Enduring
“one of the Four Big Names in the Oregon School of Composition, and as such really needs no introduction” - Oregon ArtsWatch
Photo credit: Rachel Hadiashar, courtesy of Resonance Ensemble
“a refreshing musical breadth, a diverse but integrated approach… uniquely personal… Throughout, I was struck by Ives’s subtle harmonic sense and well-constructed counterpoint — modernistic but melodic and compelling.”
— Oregon ArtsWatch
September 2024
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Artist in Residence, 2024-25
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Composer in Residence, 2025
Watch the trailer for Nancy’s acclaimed new orchestral work.
Upcoming performances with the Oregon Symphony, premiering a new version for full orchestra, June 6-9, 2025.
“stunning, assiduously crafted, and mostly melodic music… The merging of these elements… blended into a many-splendored artistic experience. I was blown away because of the high quality, authenticity and eye-opening nature of Celilo Falls: We Were There… universal in [its] artistic, social and political impact.”
— Oregon ArtsWatch
“Her music — melancholy and turbulent in ‘Celilo Fisherman,’ exalted in ‘Grandfather Storyteller,’ angry in ‘Celilo Falls’ … The inner rhythm of the waterfalls, the percussive flopping of salmon heads striking rocks, even the wind eventually made their way into her 11-movement, 45-minute composition.”
— The Oregonian
“[Ives’ compositional] renaissance has given rise to creations that can be blissfully hummable… but beautifully test the boundary between notes and sounds.”
— Oregon ArtsWatch
Photo courtesy of Joe Cantrell
“A relative of the acclaimed composer Charles Ives, Nancy carries on the tradition of her namesake with modern relevance... working with indigenous communities to authentically capture, amplify and relay their stories to wider audiences.”
— Oregon Coast Today
“Nancy Ives, Oregon Symphony principal cello since 2000, has built a career of such spectacular diversity that no summation will do her achievements justice.”
— Artslandia
“demonstrating with attentive grace that technically challenging and sonically difficult music can still be beautiful”
— Oregon ArtsWatch
photo courtesy of Fear No Music
“As they played for us, it was decided our flavor would be a culinary translation of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G-major. The result is a velvety sweet, dark and smoky flavor. Much like the piece by Bach, the flavor tastes soothing and nostalgic as if it could calm you no matter how hard your day has been; it also has this drum beat that is spicy and earthy. The flavor is made of smooth and soothing notes of chocolate, ginger, carrots, brandy...”
— Salt and Straw blog
“Oregon Symphony's top cellist talks cello rock and her stint with Lenny Kravitz”
— The Oregonian
