Saxophonist and composer Roberto Nieva was born in Ávila, Spain. From an early age he showed a strong interest in music, which led him to study at the Professional Conservatory of Music in his hometown. Years later, he moved to San Sebastián to continue his studies at Musikene, the Higher Music Center of the Basque Country, while also completing a Master’s Degree in Musical Research at the International University of Valencia (VIU). Outside the academic framework, he has studied and received masterclasses from musicians such as Branford Marsalis, Loren Stillman, Román Filiú, Bob Mintzer, and Immanuel Wilkins.
Throughout his career, he has worked and shared the stage with musicians including Kirk MacDonald, Josh Ginsburg, Martin Nevin, Marta Sánchez, Perico Sambeat, Javier Colina, Alain Pérez, Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Sullivan Fortner, Guillermo Klein, Tineke Postma, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Kris Davis, Jorge Rossy, Cuong Vu, Ingrid Laubrock, and many others. He is a regular presence on the Madrid music scene, where he has collaborated with Bob Sands, Bobby Martínez, Miguel Blanco, Juanma Barroso, Jorge Vistel, Maikel Vistel, Reiner Elizarde “Negrón”, Luis Guerra, AP Big Band, CMQ Big Band, and La Resistencia Jazz Ensemble.
He has received several distinctions, such as the Best Soloist Award at the Jazz a Castelló Contest (2011), Best Group Award at the International Jazz Festival sur l’Herbe in Anglet (2012), finalist in the Jazz Composition Contest Energia i Sinergia organized by the University of Valencia in collaboration with Sedajazz, finalist in the 35th and 40th editions of the Young Groups Competition of the Getxo International Jazz Festival, and Best Group Award at the International Jazz Festival “Johnny Raducanu” (2021). He has also performed and worked in countries such as Sweden, France, Switzerland, Malta, Austria, the Netherlands, Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and has recorded for the BBC.
In 2021 he was selected among candidates from all over the world to join Focusyear, a prestigious one-year program at the JazzCampus in Basel (Switzerland) for an international nine-piece ensemble coached by leading figures of the jazz world. Within this program he performed with artists such as Chris Cheek, Sullivan Fortner, Tineke Postma, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Kris Davis, Jorge Rossy, Cuong Vu, Ingrid Laubrock, Miguel Zenón, Elena Pinderhughes, and Guillermo Klein, and recorded the album Tiny Windows as a member of the Focusyear Band. He also travelled to Boston to collaborate with the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, working with Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, and Danilo Pérez.
His solo career focuses on leading his own band, developing an increasingly personal artistic voice. Both his debut album, Process, and his second record, Empirical Sounds, have been presented at some of the most important festivals in Spain, including the Festival de Jazz de Madrid, Jazzaldia in San Sebastián, the Lugo Jazz Festival, Talavera Jazz Festival, Medina del Campo Jazz Festival, Universijazz de Alcalá, Jazz no Outono (Cangas), and DebaJazz, among others. These projects have established him as one of the most distinctive voices of his generation.