William Ravel

William Ravel has performed professionally with artists such as Dwight Kilian's Bass Pursuit, The Dallas Brass, The Symphony of the West Valley, Dennis Rowland, the Mike Crotty Sextet, and Monte Procopio.

As an educator, starting Fall of 2008, William will begin teaching at the University of Oregon as a Graduate Teaching Fellow in the jazz studies program. He has previously taught jazz, contemporary and concert band ensembles, music theory, and class piano at the high school and junior high levels. He has been invited by both piano and jazz faculty members to teach clinics at Scottsdale Community College, has been a clinician for the Scottsdale Community College Youth Combo and Mesa Community College Jazz Outreach Program, has taught at Paradise Valley High School as a percussion instructor and jazz band clinician, and teaches piano at his own studio. His ensemble and private students have been recognized as outstanding performers and received ratings of superior at major jazz festivals. His ensembles have recently won 1st place in the advanced combo division and 3rd place in the intermediate combo division at the 2008 Fullerton Jazz Festival. His students have been accepted as students into and have been awarded talent based scholarships for major university music programs.

He has earned a bachelor of music in performance with a minor in communication from Arizona State University, where he studied piano with Chuck Marohnic and Walter Cosand, and composition and arranging with Chuck Marohnic and Mike Crotty. Beginning Fall of 2008, he will begin work towards his masters of music in jazz studies (instrumental performance) at the University of Oregon, as a student of Toby Koenigsberg and Steve Owen. He is the recipient of a Graduate Teaching Fellowship in Jazz from the University of Oregon, which includes full-tuition and a stipend (2008), was recognized by Pearson School Systems for outstanding work in teaching (2007), is the recipient of the Jazzbird full tuition scholarship at Arizona State University (1998), is the recipient of 3 special citations for outstanding musicianship from the International Association for Jazz Education (1997-98), and the Northern Arizona University Outstanding Performer Award (1996).

This summer, William Ravel will be moving to Eugene, Oregon, to work on his graduate degree at the University of Oregon. If you are a Phoenix local, be sure to catch him play while you still can. He is looking forward to meeting and playing with all the great musicians in Oregon and can't wait begin his new life in the Pacific Northwest.