Charles E. Nail

Charles Nail began his music career as a young cornet player in Monahans, Texas and since that time has become a well-known music educator throughout the Southwestern part of the United States. He completed both Bachelor's and Master's degrees at West Texas State University and has done post-graduate work in conducting at the University of Texas in Austin and at the University of North Texas in Denton.

During Mr. Nail's seventeen year tenure as band and orchestra director at Permian High School in Odessa, Texas, the bands and orchestras under his leadership performed at extraordinarily high levels, winning the Texas State Marching Band contest in 1982 and finishing second three other times and being selected five times for the finals competition in that event. The Permian Symphonic Band was also selected as the Texas State Honor Band and was never awarded less than a superior rating in every contest and festival they entered during his time there. The Permian Symphony Orchestra was twice chosen as the Texas State Honor Orchestra and also was invited to perform at the prestigious Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic/Convention in 1985. Mr. Nail is the only Texas band and orchestra director to have his groups selected as the winners in all three areas of state-wide competition.

As an adjudicator and clinician, Mr. Nail has judged the Texas State Marching Contest, the Arizona State Marching contest and the Oklahoma State Marching Contest as well as the Contest of Champions in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He has served as an adjudicator at concert contests throughout the Southwest and has also evaluated young performers in the El Paso Symphony League Young Artists competition. As a conductor, Mr. Nail has led many All-Region bands and orchestras in Texas, New Mexico and Connecticut.

Mr. Nail is a Past-President of the Texas Music Educators Association and also served two years as the Vice-President and Orchestra Division Chairman of that organization. He is a Past-President of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association, and he was chosen in 1992 to be a member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association, a group of the most highly regarded band directors in colleges, universities and public schools from across the United States and Canada. In the summer of 2007 Mr. Nail was chosen for membership in the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame.

Recently retired from public schools after thirty-six years of service, Mr. Nail is currently the concert band/jazz band director at Odessa College.