After a three year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, young jazz musicians are returning to the Quinte region once again. This year marks the 13th time the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival has organized and presetned their Jazz Education Program.

This is a crucial part of the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival’s commitment to the future of jazz. For the last dozen years, the PECJF has hosted the finest jazz education program in Canada with more than 1100 high school jazz musicians having participated. Each year, some of Ontario’s best student jazz bands attend the three-day session to work with top jazz performers and music educators. This year will feature jazz bands from Centennial Secondary School (Belleville), John McCrae Secondary School (Ottawa), Cawthra Park Secondary School (Mississauga) and the Toronto Jazz Academy Orchestra.

“Both the teachers and students tell us it’s the best extra-curricular jazz experience they have. And what’s really fun is thinking about how a few of these students may well be back here performing as professional artists on our festival’s main stage.
It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again. It’s good for our festival, and it’s good for jazz,” said Program director Blair Yarranton.

Capping off the three days of workshops, performances, and clinics will be the Swing into Spring concert on Sunday, March 26th at the Empire Theatre in Belleville, Ontario. The concert features the Brian Barlow Big Band along with the four participating high school bands.

For full ticket details and the program schedule, visit theempiretheatre.com/live/.

Tickets went on sale February 20.

-Staff