As a Jazz Journalists Association 2023 Jazz Hero, an award-winning pianist, percussionist, composer and arranger, LifeForce Jazz Records artist and educator, Tenia has 20+ years of teaching experience in all levels of education. At present, Tenia teaches privately in her music studio, teaches classes at Neighborhood Music at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, Colorado and also mentors future musicians through GRAMMY U. Tenia received her Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2004, and her Masters of Music Degree (Jazz Studies) from CU Boulder in 2010. Tenia is a board member of The Gift of Jazz organization, a non-profit that actively supports jazz performance in the Rocky Mountain region to ensure that jazz remains a creative force in Colorado. Tenia performs regularly at jazz venues in the Denver metro area as an indie artist and co-leads the Denver-based jazz group Spherio, which focuses on arranging and playing the music of Thelonious Monk and leads the Tenia Nelson Trio. Tenia and her family reside in Denver, Colorado.

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