Michael Evans – Managing Music Director/ Producer/ Trombone
Michael has traveled domestically and internationally, and is well known and respected among professional musicians in Las Vegas and throughout the world. For the past fourteen years, he has been a professional musician, chart writer, composer, and teacher. Michael currently plays trombone for one of the top shows on the Las Vegas strip, “Smokey Robinson Presents: Human Nature.” He is the youngest Big Band director in Las Vegas, and has a BA in Music from UNLV.
Michael has shared the stage with world renowned music legends including: Smokey Robinson, B. B. King, Boys II Men, LL Cool J, Bob Sheppard, and Dave Weckl. Michael’s love for music and his continued quest to keep music “Live,” led him to form Michael Evans Big Band. The band is composed of professional musicians and they play all music genres including: Swing, Top 40, Contemporary, Funk, R&B, Latin, and Big Band era tunes.
Mariano Longo – Musician/ Arranger/ Producer
Mariano Longo is a career professional Musician / Arranger / Producer who remains enthusiastic about all facets of the music industry. He has extensive experience in specialized musical applications and is the president of Orchestral Events – a company that produces orchestral / pops concerts around the country.
He currently has two shows on tour – “Groovin’ The 60’s – The Symphony /Pops Encore” – starring Gary Puckett, The Buckinghams and Christi Copeland and “You’ve Got A Friend” – The music of Carole King & James Taylor. For ten years prior, Mariano was pianist / conductor for international recording artist Gary Puckett.
Mariano has played piano and / or conducted in the Las Vegas showrooms for touring artists: Bobby Rydell, Lesley Gore, The Lettermen, Richard Street’s Temptations, The Miracles, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Shirley Allston Reeves, The Buckinghams, The Shirelles, & Little Peggy March.
Jeff Brewer – Percussion/Drum-Set Instructor
Mr. Brewer has been a percussion/drum-set instructor for 23 years. In his career he has taught over 700 private students of all ages and experience levels in all areas of percussion. He has taught at the Preparatory School for the Performing Arts in Flagstaff, AZ and for Family Music since 1996. He has coached the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra percussionists and works in the Clark County School District as a para-professional percussion teacher.
Currently Mr. Brewer is the Percussion Specialist at Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts. Mr. Brewer has been sought after as a clinician in the public schools and is well-known as a private educator among many local Band Directors. He contributed the percussion section writing for the band method book, Make It Happen, by Raine Elison (locally published). He holds both a Bachelor’s Degree in Percussion Performance (Northern Arizona University) and a Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance from UNLV. He has performed with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, NAU Repertoire Theatre, Nevada Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, UNLV Orchestra, UNLV Wind Symphony and the Henderson Civic Symphony. He has also shared the stage with such artists as The Four Tops, Mary Wilson, and Shania Twain.