Nelsons learned to play the trumpet. He played the trumpet with the Latvian National Opera. He had always wanted to be a conductor. The conductor Mariss Jansons taught him to become a good conductor. In 2003 Nelsons became principal conductor of the Latvian National Opera. He stayed with them for five years. In 2006, he became chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie of Herford, Germany, for three years.