The Nash Welcomes Dr. Clark Gibson as Director of Education
[Phoenix, Arizona] The Nash, a subsidiary of Jazz in Arizona Inc., is pleased to appoint Dr. Clark Gibson, as its new Director of Education. Dr. Gibson joins at a time of growth and expansion for the organization, which was the recent recipient of a gift from the Virginia Piper Charitable Trust on its historic “Day of Giving”, where more than $123 million was gifted in surprise grants to local nonprofits. In addition, with Covid restrictions being lifted in local schools, The Nash will be bringing back programming from pre-Covid as well as creating new educational programs and initiatives under Dr. Gibson’s guidance.
“Hiring our first full-time Education Director will allow The Nash to build its capacity by expanding education and community outreach programs in ways that had not been possible with limited staff” said Steve Maun, Managing Director of The Nash. “Clark is a talented educator and musician who is a perfect fit to lead The Nash’s program growth.”
Dr. Gibson joins The Nash from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he served as Director of Jazz Studies at Northeastern State University. In addition to being an educator, Dr. Gibson is an accomplished jazz saxophonist and composer and is a sought after clinician and adjudicator across the country. His professional career began in Denver, Colorado performing popular music genres such as jazz, funk, blues and more. While there, he formed his own group, the Clark Gibson Quartet which was nominated for “Best Jazz Group in Colorado” by Westword Magazine.His forward-thinking music is strongly rooted in the traditions of jazz musicians of the 20th century, the history of Western classical music, his own life experiences, as well as musical traditions from cultures across the globe.
Dr. Gibson received his Bachelor of Music in Jazz at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA. He received both his Master’s of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
To reach Dr.Gibson and learn more about the educational offerings at The Nash, contact him at clark.gibson@thenash.org.