Santa Barbara High School Jazz Festival

The 28th annual Santa Barbara High School Jazz Festival is Saturday May 18th at the Santa Barbara High School Theatre. Beginning at 8 AM until 7:30 PM there will be 20 group performances from 12 junior high and high school bands from across Southern California in a full day of competition. Rounding out the evening will be a special performance by Santa Barbara City College’s Good Times Big Band, directed by Eric Heidner. 

“The Santa Barbara Jazz Festival holds a special place in the Santa Barbara Community and beyond,” said Dylan Aguilera, Santa Barbara High’s band director. “For the last 28 years, it has been providing students the opportunity to explore, create, and refine their definitions of the jazz idiom. I performed here as a student in college, my colleagues took part in the festival from high school through college, and my students from throughout the county have been participating in the festival since they were in junior high. This year, my high school band director decided to join in on the fun by bringing a band all the way from the Inland Empire,” said Maestro Aguilera.

This event is a fundraiser for the Santa Barbara High School music programs. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Children nine years and younger are free with an adult admission. Your ticket will get you into any or all of the performances. There will be barbeque, baked goods and other fare for purchase throughout the day.

Santa Barbara High School is located at 700 E. Anapamu Street. For further information contact Maestro Aguilera at his Santa Barbara Unified School District e-mail daguilera@sbunified.org or visit the festival’s website http://www.sbhsbands.org/jazz-festival.html.