Nathan Francis Mann of Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, died unexpectedly on September 14, 2020.  He was 18 years old.  The beloved son of Denise E. and Francis P. Mann, Nathan was born in Novocherkassk, Russia and raised in the Philadelphia area. 

From a very young age, Nathan demonstrated an intellectual curiosity for the world around him.  He loved nature, particularly the ocean, and was known for his determination, passion, and deep empathy for the people and things he loved. 

Nathan was passionate about music.  From an early age, Nathan was fascinated by all genres of music and turned to great musical scores like Star Wars and classics from Bach and Beethoven to the Beatles to find some calmness from his unbounding energy.  He was known to sing and recreate the scores in dramatic ways, sometimes for days on end.   At age 4, while most kids would be fidgety and bored, Nathan already proved to be a good audience member and arts companion as he watched live musical performances.  At the age of 8, he started playing the cello and began formal lessons the next year.   He added the trombone and played both instruments until he was 16.  He played and traveled with two orchestras, two chamber ensembles, the concert band,  jazz band, and wind ensemble, until his passion for the cello won out. 

Nathan joined the Youth Orchestra of Buck County at age 11, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra at age 14, and at an early age began to participate in summer music festivals as his passion for the cello continued to grow.  At age 16, he became part of the Gray Trio with Settlement Music School. For 3 years this became one of his most meaningful places as he spent his time with three people that he loved dearly, Sandra Carlock, Vibha Janakiraman, and Immanuel Mykyta-Chomsky.   His other special place was in South Philadelphia, at the studio of his mentor, teacher, and friend John Koen, whom he admired and cared for very deeply.  For 4 years, every Saturday at 1pm, Nathan spent hours studying his craft, fighting his frustration, sharing his favorite pieces, and vowing to “never give-up”.  He continued studying Cello Performance with John at Temple Boyer School of Music this fall. 

Outside of music, Nathan enjoyed science, math and reading.  He admired Stephen Hawking and was passionate about Star Wars, Zelda, Pokemon and Legos.   To free his energy, he enjoyed skateboarding, snowboarding, hiking, and the ocean. 

Nathan was a kind and caring person who loved deeply and had profound empathy for those around him.  Sharp, funny, and quick witted, he loved to do impressions of people and always found a way to make someone smile.  Nathan admired others’ hard work and passion for life, and was drawn to help the “underdog”.  If a friend was struggling he would offer his help in any way he could, and truly was excited when someone improved or achieved their goal.  Always a kid at heart, he loved helping the young cellists in the youth orchestra.  He was relatable and offered high fives along with words of support.

In addition to his parents,  Nathan will be sadly missed by his sister, buddy, and best friend Anna, and will lovingly be remembered along with his late “Pop-pop” and “Grandpop” by  his “Grandmom”, his uncles, aunts and cousins, his dogs Pricilla and Elvis and cats Iago, Virgil and Calypso.  He will be missed by the many lives he touched, including his PYO and Settlement families, and most especially Leni, Alex, Gevon, William, Allison, Vibha, his “brother” Immanuel and “the woman who changed my world” Ms. Nina Wilkinson. 

Nathan was inspired and guided by so many incredible musicians and pedagogues, especially in the Philadelphia community.   He believed that music could change the world and sorely missed live collaboration with his musical peers and mentors.   With 2020’s many closures in the arts community, Nathan was even more inspired to continue to study and support the arts. 

If you would like to contribute please consider a donation in Nathan’s name to these organizations:

The Philadelphia Musicians' Relief Fund, a fund created to address the immediate financial concerns and other needs of the Philadelphia area community of musicians. 

Settlement Music School an inclusive, creative community, dedicated to providing exceptional arts education and instruction for all.