Nilsen was born in Seattle, Wash., in 1956. The Nilsen family moved to Portland, Ore., in 1960. Nilsen began studying classical piano from his mother at age 6. Continuing his musical education, he began playing guitar at age 14.
Nilsen moved to Ashland, Ore., in 1974 to attend Southern Oregon College (Southern Oregon University). Nilsen was graduated in 1979 with a bachelor of arts degree in English, and he was honored by the institution in 1995 in recognition of his outstanding achievements and dedication in the field of the performing arts with the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the most prestigious award bestowed upon Southern Oregon University graduates.
Nilsen founded the Magic Wing recording label in 1987. The label has a catalog of 15 successful titles, each with international distribution.
Before founding Magic Wing, Nilsen recorded three successful solo piano records on LA’s Eagle Records (1983-1985). He has recorded 15 on his own Magic Wing label and has had 15 other CDs licensed in countries including Germany, Great Britain, the Philippines, Canada, Taiwan and Singapore, bringing reported total record sales to more than 1 million copies sold.
For nearly three decades, Nilsen has had two hundred compositions and musical arrangements receiving radio and TV royalties world wide. He has toured extensively in the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
At Saturday’s performance, Nilsen will offer a variety of piano styles from sacred to classical to boogie-woogie in his one-hour concert.
To compensate his travel expenses to this area, a free-will offering will be taken. Also, refreshments will be served afterward in Elbert Hall, where Nilsen’s CDs will be available for purchase.
