THE NELSON RIDDLE FOUNDATION
We were at the orchestra’s debut in L.A.and they played “Unforgettable” — the pizzicato string section going dat-dat-dat-dat — the two of us standing at the back looking out at 2,000 people, hearing the collective gasp of recognition, feeling the goose bumps, the energy — it was just magical. We’ve had so many of these kinds of experiences. The power of his music is huge, and being able to pass that on — getting the world to know about it, once again — is such an honor and a pleasure.
Fine-artist Danielle Acerra is Nelson Riddle’s granddaughter. She and her husband Francis Kiernan, a professional classical flautist, produced that L.A. debut back in October. (They met in a Dublin pub in 2007 at end of a Nelson Riddle Orchestra concert.) The revival of Nelson’s music through orchestral performances and the creation of a foundation are among the couple’s endeavors. She was eight when the greatarranger died, but remembers him well. He may have sold a half-billion record albums, but to Danielle he was “just Pop Pop, my fun grandfather,” of whom she has many fond memories, and memorabilia.
Education, music and otherwise, was always a strong part of Nelson’s life — his family was not wealthy and Nelson went to college on the GI Bill after World War II — Francis explains, which is why education is an integral part of the Nelson Riddle Foundation. The foundation — a 501(c)(3) based out of Rumson — was launched in September 2010 by Danielle’s family, which includes her mother, Rosemary Riddle Acerra, Danielle’s brother, Michael Acerra, a photographer, and husband Francis, a London-born Irish native, who serves as executive director and orchestra manager. The foundation’s mission is to preserve, maintain, and promote the musical legacy of Nelson Riddle for future generations and, in the process, provide music education opportunities and benefit communities. In other words, as Francis puts it, “do good.”
While leveraging donations through matching grants may be a foundation tradition — and just one of Francis’ many tasks — the foundation is by no means traditional. “We decided to do something quite a bit different, and have a pay-it-forward component,” he explains. “So rather than just give money to someone to, say, buy a new trumpet or go to a summer workshop, they have to use that trumpet to play at the Alzheimer’s home that their grandparent is in, for instance. Rather than pay-back, it’s pay-forward.”
The foundation’s first big fundraiser is currently underway via Kickstarter.com, to raise awareness and money for the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, which was revived by Francis in 2007. Today, the orchestra consists of three distinct cohorts: East Coast, represented by many Jersey Shore musicians; U.K.; and West Coast. Each one is comprised of top studio musicians from around the world — with Nelson’s son, Christopher Riddle, at the helm. Kickstarter, an online fundraising platform is being used in order to assure the orchestra’s representation at the World Music Expo (WOMEX), the global production and performance marketplace, in Denmark in October. Next up is having a strong presence at the American Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) convention in January. The foundation is also looking at other major fundraising campaigns.
As Francis explains, the orchestra’s earnings, along with public donations, help fund the foundation. “The music is known and loved throughout the world by musicians and public alike, so the quality of our performances is paramount,” he says of the orchestral performances. “The beauty is we’ve got contemporary artists; the singers accompanying the orchestras are top original talent.” There are no impersonators.
“Working with Nelson has been a rite of passage for so many artists, his legacy is phenomenal, and the essence of what we have is still alive,” says Francis. “Nelson wrote the music...the music will never die.”

NELSON RIDDLE FOUNDATION INC.
P.O. Box 491, Rumson, NJ 07760

nelsonriddle.org