Jazz Festival

The 2026 UNO/OPA Jazz Festival will take place at UNO on Friday, February 27th and at the Holland Center in downtown Omaha on Saturday, February 28th.

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 New York Voices and an evening performance by MAYJO and the UNO Jazz Ensemble featuring New York Voices and other special guest artists.

Contact petermadsen@unomaha.edu for more information.

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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: Wycliffe Gordon and the UNO Jazz Ensemble