PMEA District 10 Jazz Band festival coming to northern Schuylkill

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS – North Schuylkill and Shenandoah Valley are co-hosting some of the best scholastic jazz musicians in eastern Pennsylvania next weekend.

The PMEA District 10 Jazz Band Festival will take place at North Schuylkill High School in Fountain Springs on Jan. 30 and 31.

The two schools, whose music departments are headed by the brothers Shoener — Jacob and John — are co-hosting the festival.

It brings together the best high school jazz musicians from Schuylkill, Carbon, Berks, Lehigh Northampton, and Pike counties.

Musicians from our area made the cut in competitive auditions, including Gregory Stump, Henry Evans, and Addison Lesher from North Schuylkill, Benjamin Bux from Mahanoy Area, and Toby Gudinas from Shenandoah Valley.

Selected students will rehearse and perform under the guidance of distinguished guest conductors Randy Kapralick and Rick Hirsch, both acclaimed performers, educators, and leaders in the jazz community.

The festival will conclude with a public concert on Saturday, January 31, 2026, beginning at 7:00 PM (auditorium doors open at 6:30 PM) in the North Schuylkill High School Auditorium. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door for $10.

The article PMEA District 10 Jazz Band festival coming to northern Schuylkill first appeared on The Shenandoah Sentinel.