Nelson Everhart 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.
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. Throughout High School he conducted and arranged music for musical theater. 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. Nelson is the brother of bassist Robin Everhart, who was once a member of the bandRival 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. 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. He collaborated with instrumentalists from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Ballet, such as famed Cincinnati violinist . 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. 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. 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. In May of 2020 it was announced that his classic score for Vexx would be released on vinyl by Respawned Records. An official album for Turok: Evolution was released by Nimbus Records. Everhart is currently a professor of audio engineering at Cincinnati State Technical College. He also runs a 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. Everhart notes Wizard City, Celestia, and Zafaria as being his favorite worlds to compose for.
