Oliver Nelson was born in Glasgow and began learning the violin at the age of six. He gained scholarships to both Canford School and the Royal Academy of Music. During his time at the Academy, Oliver studied the violin with Xue-Wei and conducting with Denise Ham and appeared as leader and soloist with the Academy String Orchestra.His achievements include winning the Academy Concerto Competition, the Winifred Small Violin Competition and the building of his concerto repertoire with Gli Amici della Musica, Dorset Youth Orchestra, Christchurch Sinfonia, and Da Vinci Ensemble.
He is now in high demand as a recitalist with Andrew Ball, Peter Croser, and Roy Stratford having recently performed at venues such as St.Martin-in-the-Fields and St.James Piccadilly in London. As a soloist he has appeared with the Amaretti Ensemble, Dorset Chamber Orchestra, Dorking Philharmonia, Gorten Philharmonic Orchestra, High Peaks Symphony Orchestra, Hertford Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Beethoven Orchestra, Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra, Winchester Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra. Oliver’s recent activities have included performing Mozart’s 3rd Violin Concerto in a private concert for the Sultan of Oman in his palace and the Tchaikovsky, Korngold, and Lalo concerti in venues as far ranging as Dorset, Manchester and Adelaide, Australia. Oliver teaches the violin at The Royal School and Hindhead Music Centre in Surrey and is regularly involved in adjudicating, coaching and masterclasses.