The UNLV Jazz Sextet won first place in the College Combo Division at the prestigious Reno Jazz Festival on April 28, 2012. The winning combo is comprised of with Otto Ehling on piano; Nate Kimball on trombone; Kevin Early on trumpet; Nick Tulli on saxophone; Austin Pooley on drums; and Nick Schmitt on bass.

The UNLV team competed among 17 combos from some of the finest jazz programs in the West including Cal State Northridge, University of Oregon, UCLA, University of the Pacific, and many others.

Nate Kimball won outstanding college trombonist, and Kevin Early won outstanding college trumpet performer. Their awards are among numerous individual awards garnered at this annual jazz event by UNLV Jazz Studies students over the past decade.

This is the fifth win in this category for UNLV since 2003 and demonstrates the talent and dedication of students from the UNLV Department of Music Jazz Studies Program. In addition, the Las Vegas Academy Jazz Band won overall best high school instrumental ensemble from over 25 groups in this category performing pieces created by Nate Kimball, Nick Tulli and Julian Tanaka, who are students from the UNLV jazz composition program.

UNLV Department of Music student Otto Ehling, who is graduating with a Master of Music in Performance with a Jazz Piano Option, was recognized as the outstanding graduate student from the College of Fine Arts.