Gary Powell Nash is a native of Flint, Michigan and holds the Ph.D. in Music Composition from Michigan State University.   He was Associate Professor of Music Composition and Theory at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, Mississippi from 1996 until 2003.

As a composer, Dr. Nash’s music has been performed in all major regions of the United States and abroad in countries such as Canada, China, Philippines, Taiwan and UK.  He has received numerous grants, commissions and awards for his compositions including the Mississippi Arts Commission, American Composers Forum, Mississippi Humanities Council and Fulbright, where he was Visiting Professor of Music Composition at University of the Philippines, Diliman,  in 2000 and 2001.