When they first met, Marshall McDonald and Steven Sharp Nelson felt like they fell into the middle of a friendship.

They were both music majors at the University of Utah, and although they didn't have any classes together, they were involved in extracurricular musical activities.

"We had an immediate personal bond as well as a musical bond," says Nelson. "Music adds such sweetness to friendship. When we perform together, it's like we are both on a higher ground." McDonald plays the piano and Nelson the cello, so they can easily make beautiful music together.

They both graduated, they both have other jobs (one in real estate, one in education), they both now have wives and children, but they both continue to make music — and if you find one of them, chances are very good that the other one will be there, too.

Their friendship and musical compatibility even extends to composing. "When two people decide to compose together, it usually means they get together and fight," says McDonald. "And I've tried it with other musicians, and it is hard. But for some reason, Steven and I just fit together. He is linear — he does great melody from start to finish. I'm vertical. I do the harmonies."

At least, adds Nelson, "that's where our strengths are. Sometimes we swap and he does the melody and I do the harmony. But we're both so laid back. And we respect each other. We disagree, but we can laugh it off, talk it out. We both have a rule never to take ourselves too seriously. That's when it goes from the joy of music to killing yourself for music."

Among their recent collaborations are two symphonies commissioned by the orchestra at Southern Utah University. The first was on the Spanish Trail; the second on Africa. Those symphonies in turn have opened up a world of possibilities for the young musicians.

The conductor of the SUU orchestra is Xun Sun, a native of China, "and we have become good friends," says Nelson. "We see eye-to-eye on music and spirituality."

"We are not of the same religion, but Xun believes in the religiosity of music and wants to bring more spiritual music to his country," adds McDonald.

Their symphony on the Spanish Trail was commissioned by the Spanish Trail Association, which has wanted to call more attention to what is sometimes considered "the southern Oregon Trail. "It connects Santa Fe to Cedar City," says Nelson, "and it was used by so many different cultures — the Spanish explorers, the Native Americans, John C. Fremont, the Mormon pioneers. Our symphony has four movements, and each one concentrates on a different culture."

After the symphony premiered with the SUU orchestra in February 2006, Xun took it to China, where it was performed by the Hunan Symphony. He also guest-conducted it with the Ukraine Symphony.