Essentially Ellington
Thursday, April 30, 2026 | Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre
Essentially Ellington
Hosted by Shenandoah Conservatory
Dr. Matthew Niess
Director of Jazz & Commercial Music; Associate Professor of Trombone
Shenandoah Conservatory is proud to serve as a site for an Essentially Ellington Regional High School Band Festival in Winchester, Virginia, on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Director of Jazz & Commercial Music and Associate Professor of Trombone Matthew Niess will serve as director of this year’s event.
Through its annual Essentially Ellington program, Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) co-produces education-focused festivals designed to offer high school jazz bands of all levels the opportunity to perform the music of Duke Ellington and other seminal big band composers and arrangers. Participating bands receive professional feedback from JALC clinicians and other jazz professionals in their own backyard.
Performance Details for Participating Ensembles
All bands participating in the festival must join the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program (EE) through Jazz at Lincoln Center. By joining the free program, schools receive original transcriptions or arrangements by Duke Ellington, as well as recordings, rehearsal videos, teaching guides and other resources. Please visit academy.jazz.org/ee/.
High school bands will perform 3 selections. All bands participating in the festival must perform at least one selection from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington print music series. In addition to the charts received through their free membership with Essentially Ellington, bands may also elect to perform any of the previously published charts in the EE library (over 140 titles!). Charts are published by Warner Brothers and Alfred at academy.jazz.org/ee/complete-library-list/.
Each band will be given access to a warmup room for 20 minutes before their performance. Bands provide guitar/bass cables and pickup, snare drum, and cymbals for performance. A grand piano, guitar amp, bass amp, vibes, and drum set will be available on stage. Each warm-up room will have piano, guitar amp, bass amp, vibes and drum set.
Each band will be given 30 minutes for stage set-up, performance, and exit.
There will be a recognition of the following honors:
- 3 Outstanding Soloists
- Outstanding Brass
- Outstanding Saxes
- Outstanding Rhythm Section
2025 Clinicians
- Pharez Whitted (Trumpeter/Educator)
- Lisa Linde (Music Educator/Band Director)
- Darryl Brenzel (Shenandoah Conservatory)
- Robert Larson (Shenandoah Conservatory)
- Craig Fraedrich (Shenandoah Conservatory)
- Luis Hernandez (Shenandoah Conservatory)
- Matthew Niess (Shenandoah Conservatory)
- Richard Whitehead (Shenandoah Conservatory)
- Alphonso Young (Shenandoah Conservatory)
Featured Ensemble
The Shenandoah Conservatory Studio Big Band (formerly known as the Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Ensemble) was founded in the late 1950s as one of the first collegiate jazz ensembles in the country and has a long tradition of excellence. The group has performed with numerous jazz legends, toured China, Japan, Ireland, Iceland, Germany, Spain, France, and Senegal, Africa, and won acclaim at multiple major jazz festivals.
Registration
Registration for the festival is $300 per ensemble. If a group must withdraw, a full refund will be provided only if another band on the waiting list is available to take the position of the withdrawing ensemble.
We will accept registrations until all 15 program slots are filled. This festival is for high school and middle school ensembles.
Registration information coming soon…
Sample Schedule (2025)
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 12:30 p.m. | Shenandoah Conservatory Big Band Workshop |
| 1 p.m. | Musselman High School |
| 1:30 p.m. | Albemarle High School |
| 2 p.m. | Jefferson High School |
| 2:30 p.m. | Shenandoah Conservatory Little Big Band |
| 3:30 p.m. | ClinicsSaxophones (Ruebush Hall, Room 148) |
| 4:30 p.m. | Millbrook High School |
| 5 p.m | Wakefield High School |
| 5:30 p.m. | Yorktown High School |
| 6 p.m. | Shenandoah Conservatory Studio Big Band |
| 6:30 p.m. | Dinner |
| 7:30 p.m. | Headline PerformanceFeaturing Scott Silbert, saxophone and the Shenandoah Conservatory Studio Big Band |
Schedule is subject to change.
About Essentially Ellington
The Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program (EE) is unique among educational resources for high school jazz bands. Each year, Jazz at Lincoln Center transcribes, publishes, and distributes charts by Duke Ellington and other seminal big band composers and arrangers, along with additional educational materials to high school and college bands internationally. Beyond providing these charts, EE also supports its members throughout the school year with a variety of initiatives including teaching guides, the Essentially Ellington website, a student composition contest, and professional feedback of student performances of the charts. Schools that join the program are eligible for participation in noncompetitive regional festivals and also have the option to submit a recording for the national Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival held annually in New York City at Frederick P. Rose Hall, the home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Fifteen bands are selected as finalists and, to prepare, each finalist band receives an in-school workshop in their community led by a professional musician. The Competition & Festival culminates in a three-day festival in May for the finalist bands, including workshops, rehearsals, jam sessions, and performances. The three top-placing bands perform an evening concert with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Where to Stay
Shenandoah University is located in Winchester, Virginia. The city is rich in history and offers a number of entertainment opportunities, community attractions, restaurants and more.
We’ve partnered with many local hotels that offer discounts to Shenandoah visitors, parents, students and alumni. Be sure to mention you are visiting Shenandoah University to get a discounted rate.
Contact Us
Dr. Matthew Niess
Director of Jazz & Commercial Music
Associate Professor of Trombone
Shenandoah Conservatory
mniess@su.edu
Sponsors
