Area schools taking part in jazz fest

More than 3,800 students — including those from Sandpoint middle and high schools — will descend into Moscow along with educators, parents and jazz lovers this coming week for the  57th Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho. 

The annual festival is being held April 17-20.

Students will participate in three days of adjudicated performances, culminating in evening concerts with some of today’s top jazz performers. Schools from Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Utah, Ohio, and British Columbia, Canada, will attend. 

“We are thrilled for the upcoming 57th Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, just around the corner,” Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival Manager Navin Chettri said. “This year marks Lionel Hampton's 116th birthday April 20, and we can't wait to celebrate with all our visiting schools, directors, musicians and community.”

The student performance schedule features elementary, junior and college students April 18, senior vocalists April 19 and senior instrumentalists April 20 at venues all over campus, from around 8 a.m. through the afternoon. Find a full schedule online. 

The Sandpoint Middle School Select Choir is scheduled to perform Thursday, April 18, and the Sandpoint High School Concert Choir is set to perform Friday, April 19.

The workshops begin April 18 and are free, open to the public and cover a range of topics from hip-hop, tap and jazz disco, to yoga for musicians and the physics of making waves with music.  

Tickets are still available for the evening concerts, which will feature Grammy-Award-winning performers, critic and fan-favorite musicians, and the top student soloists competing for a scholarship to U of I courtesy of Avista. 

Tickets to April 17’s Hamp’s Gala are free. All other ticket events range from $20-$50 and are available from the Bruce Pitman Center Box Office, at uitickets.com or at the door while supplies last (credit card only). A clear bag policy is in effect for all events in the ICCU Arena.