SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Morningside University School of Visual and Performing Arts is excited to welcome a record 60 high school bands and over 1,000 high school musicians to the 51st Morningside Jazz Festival next week at Eppley Auditorium on the campus of Morningside University.

Starting Tuesday, Feb. 6 and running through Friday, Feb. 9, high school bands from Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska will be on campus and partaking in performances, competitions, and clinics. Morningside’s ‘M Avenue Jazz Ensemble’ will perform a midday concert in Eppley Auditorium and will be joined by guest clinicians and adjudicators. 

One of the featured clinicians for 2024 is pianist Henry Hey, a Sioux City native who attended the Jazz Festival as a high school student and now resides in New York where he is known for his curiosity and ability to bring multiple musical influences together. The Henry Hey trio is one of the most pure and elemental ensembles in jazz. 

The other featured clinician in bassist Karyn Quinn. Quinn is in demand throughout the Midwest for her ability to supply just the right “bottom line,” harmonically and stylistically, for a wide range of musical experiences. Quinn performs regularly with the La Crosse Jazz Ochestra, Safe passage Jazz Quartet, Optimism Jazz Sextet, Viterbo University Conservatory for the Performing Arts, and the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra.

Class 1A schools will be on campus Tuesday, followed by Class 3A schools on Wednesday, Class 2A schools on Thursday, and Class 4A schools Friday. The midday concerts by M Avenue Jazz Ensemble and featured guests are at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Noon Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. Thursday, and 11:30 a.m. Friday. All events are free and open to the public.

The Morningside Jazz Festival is the largest, longest running, and premier jazz festival in the region. Jazz and jazz education are alive and well in Siouxland and Morningside is proud to be a centerpiece.