Nevala Quartet to Perform With Wyoming Jazz Ensemble at UW Oct. 17

The University of Wyoming Department of Music's Jazz Studies program will present the Andy Nevala Quartet with the Wyoming Jazz Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts concert hall.

Tickets are $14 for the public, $10 for senior citizens and $6 for students. A nominal processing fee will be charged for each ticket. To purchase tickets, visit the Performing Arts box office, call (307) 766-6666 or go online at www.tix.com/ticket-sales/uwyo/6984.

The Andy Nevala Quartet is composed of four talented musicians: Nevala, piano; Edwin Charon, congas; Andy Eulau, bass; and Emrah Kotan, drum set. Together, the quartet specializes in playing Cuban standards, arrangements and original compositions.

The quartet formed in Colorado and California several years ago, reconnected and were recently selected to perform at the Jazz Education Network Conference in Orlando, Fla. The group's members are known for their diverse backgrounds, which bring richness and depth to their music.

Nevala is an accomplished and well-respected musician, composer arranger and educator, with extensive experience in jazz studies. He is the jazz studies director at Jacksonville State University, where he directs multiple ensembles and oversees the jazz combo program.

He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including 10 Downbeat Music Awards for composition, arranging and performing/directing. Nevala has an active performance career, having recorded on more than 20 CDs released in the U.S., Japan and South America, and has toured with numerous groups and ensembles, including the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Steve Lippia, Eddie Turner and his own groups.

He also is in demand as a guest conductor, performer and clinician at universities, festivals and music education events throughout the country. An accomplished arranger and orchestrator, Nevala has been commissioned by several ensembles and arranged and orchestrated music for theaters and conservatories.

Nevala is a founding member of The Alabama Jazz Collective, a group that is dedicated to grow, promote and support the jazz community in Alabama, striving to establish common themes between all genres of music, races and cultures.

He has a Ph.D. in jazz piano pedagogy from the University of Colorado-Boulder, a master's in music theory and composition from the University of Northern Colorado and a B.A. in music from Boise State University.