Jazz Festival

Participating directors please click here for detailed information about the festival.

To register your school ensemble(s) for the festival click here. Upon completion directors will receive an e-mail confirmation and payment form.

The 2023 UNO/OPA Jazz Festival will take place at UNO on Friday, February 24 and at the Holland Center in downtown Omaha on Saturday, February 25.

Friday will include daytime professional performances and clinics.

The Friday evening headliner performance will feature the Metropolitan Area Youth Jazz Orchestra (MAYJO) and the Great Plains Great Big Band featuring professional guest artists and adjudicators.

Saturday will feature a clinic presented by Bria Skonberg and an evening performance by MAYJO and the UNO Jazz Ensemble featuring Bria Skonberg and other special guest artists.

Contact petermadsen@unomaha.edu for more information.

Sponsored By:

2023 Festival Adjudicators

Ben Tweedt, Piano - Cincinatti Freelance musician and educator

Dr. Lonnie Easter II, University of Oklahoma

Mary Fettig, San Francisco freelance saxophonist and Stan Kenton alumna

Kevin Linder, Retired Public School Teacher and Morningside College

C.J. Kocher, University of South Dakota

Inga Berzina, Jazeps Vitols Latvian Music Academy

Artis Orubs, Jazeps Vitols Latvian Music Academy

Marcus Lewis, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Jim McFalls, Towson University and Buffet Group-USA Performing Artist

Frank Greene, Trumpet - Count Basie Orchestra

Check back regularly for a confirmed updated list of 2023 Adjudicators.

The Great Plains Jazz Festival features nationally renowned adjudicators, clinicians and guest artists. The festival is designed to be an educational experience for band directors and students from middle school through college. Ensembles perform for written and recorded comments and then proceed to a different room for a clinic from one of the adjudicators. In addition to the individualized clinic that each band receives, participants also have the opportunity to attend general clinic sessions presented by guest artists and adjudicators. The highlight of the festival is the opportunity to hear professional jazz concerts for free or greatly reduced prices.

Jazz artists that have recently appeared at the Great Plains Jazz Festival include Gordon Goodwin, Eric Marienthal, Brubeck Brothers, Bela Fleck, Doc Severinsen, Diane Schuur, the Jim Widner Big Band, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Jim Pugh, Marvin Stamm, Hubert Laws, and the Blue Note 7 featuring Ravi Coltrane and Nicholas Payton.