UNO's 52nd Annual Great Plains Jazz Festival Sponsored by Omaha Performing Arts and Nebraska Diamond with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment
Founded in 1973, the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Great Plains Jazz Festival is one of the premier educational jazz festivals in the nation.
Band Directors Click Here to Register for the Festival, and for Detailed Information.
The 2024 UNO/OPA Jazz Festival will take place at UNO on Friday, February 23 and at the Holland Center in downtown Omaha on Saturday, February 24.
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.
--The Friday 8pm Concert is Sold Out--
Saturday will feature a clinic presented by Wycliffe Gordon and an evening performance by MAYJO and the UNO Jazz Ensemble featuring Wycliffe Gordon and other special guest artists.
--The Saturday 8pm Concert is Sold Out--
Contact petermadsen@unomaha.edu for more information.
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2024 Festival Guest Artists and Adjudicators
Wycliffe Gordon, Trombone – Yamaha Performing Artist and Jazz at Lincoln Center Alumnus
The Big Bad Bones - Summit Recording Artists
Great Plains Great Big Band - All-Star Big Band in Residence
Rick Hirsch, Saxophone – State College, PA Composer/Arranger and Founder of Hirsch Music
Jose Valentino, Saxophone/Flute/Bass - University of Florida
Dr. Lonnie Easter II, Saxophone - University of Oklahoma
Willie Murillo, Trumpet - L.A. Studio Musician
Bryan Davis, Trumpet – New York Freelancer and The 8-Bit Big Band
Quentin Volk, Trumpet - Minneapolis Freelancer and Executive Director of Eau Claire Jazz, Inc.
Andre Hayward, Trombone – Jazz at Lincoln Center Alumnus and San Francisco Conservatory
Brett Stamps, Trombone – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Professor Emeritus
Steve Wilson, Bass Trombone – University of Texas at El Paso
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.
Pictured Above: Bria Skonberg performs with UNO Jazz at the Holland Center.