The Jeff Hamilton Trio will headline an evening performance to climax the 12th Annual Jazz Festival at Evanston Township High School on Feb. 14.
Open to the public, the festival is an all-day event focusing on educating high school and middle school jazz students and showcasing their talents.
It will feature a world-class lineup of adjudicators and clinicians providing educational opportunities to both students and visitors. Each band or combo has the opportunity to perform and receives both live and recorded feedback as well as coaching from two expert judges.
A variety of workshops, clinics, and master classes is also offered by jazz musicians and educators.
“The festival is a tremendous learning opportunity for students from dozens of schools who perform publicly throughout the day and receive coaching from outstanding jazz educators,” says Mike Lehman, co-director of bands at ETHS and the festival’s director.
“Students benefit from constructive input provided by leading jazz professionals,” he said.
The festival attracts more than 400 student musicians from school bands around the Midwest. Past festivals have drawn school bands from as far away as Winnipeg, Canada. Last year more than 45 bands and combos from nearly 20 schools participated in the event.
Tickets for the evening event, which begins at 7 p.m., are $20 for adults and $15 for children, students, and seniors. Proceeds go toward enhancing the ETHS jazz program and to expand music opportunities for ETHS students.
For more information, contact Mike Lehman at the school.
Top: The Jeff Hamilton Trio that will be performing at the ETHS Jazz Festival. It features Hamilton on drums, Christoph Luty on bass, and Tamir Handelman on piano.