Jason Arndt, jarndt@wolfrivermedia.com
The sixth annual Shawano Jazz Festival, also known as SHAZZ, will feature about 20 high school bands, two well-known professional jazz musicians and a special event benefiting one special jazz aficionado.
“It is so rare for a small town like this to have something this big,” said Christopher Kent, Shawano Community High School band director and one of the event’s key organizers.
The festival, presented by the Shawano Jazz Foundation in partnership with SCHS, is a major fundraiser for the music department, helping fund summer music camp scholarships.
The competition segment of the festival kicks off at 8 a.m. Saturday and concludes at 3 p.m. with a finale concert that features performances by the SCHS jazz band and Grammy Award winners saxophonist Eric Marienthal and trombonist Andy Martin.
In addition to performing, Martin and Marienthal also will serve as judges for the high school musicians’ performances.
“They will both be clinicians at the event, sitting in separate rooms, to judge the performance,” Kent said. “It does not happen anywhere else.”
Judging will be based on Wisconsin School Music Association standards, with scoring for technical and artistic merit on a 100-point scale.
A trophy and individual medals will be awarded to the first-place band. The band placing second receives a certificate. Outstanding musicians receive trophies and certificates, and members of the all-star band will receive medals.
A “Class Act” award will be presented to one band for demonstrating respect for others, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.
Shawano bands will not compete, but Shawano students will be eligible for individual awards.
The music continues at 6:30 p.m. with the “One Night Only” event at the Gathering in Shawano. Some of the proceeds will help pay medical and transportation costs for Brittany Sperberg, a 2011 SCHS grad, trombone player and a key contributor to the festival.
A senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sperberg was well on her way to getting her bachelor’s degree in music education before an undiagnosed illness forced her to leave school. She and her family have made several trips to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Martin, a 2015 Grammy Award-winning trombonist, was invited to the festival specifically to perform a duet with Sperberg as thanks for all the work she had put into the foundation.
When Sperberg was in high school, she met Martin at an event in Green Bay. He graciously spent about 30 minutes with her, discussing jazz and the music industry.
Although Sperberg won’t perform, “it is still a special appearance by Martin,” Kent said. “He took the time to talk to someone he did not know. He is her role model. That is the type of guy he is.”
Kent also expressed appreciation for Marienthal’s return to the festival for the fourth straight year.
“He really likes coming to our festival and is impressed with what we have going,” Kent said.
Kent said he believes Marienthal keeps returning to Shawano because he appreciates the community’s dedication to improving the musical skills of students.
The public can attend the festival for free throughout the day. Admission to the finale concert is $15. Admission to the 6 p.m. “One Night Only” is $50, which includes dinner, coffee and dessert. People can also arrive at 7:30 p.m. and pay $15 for coffee and dessert along with the second and third musical sets.
Tickets will not be available at the door. They can be purchased through Friday at the Shawano Community High School office, 220 County Road B, or online at www.shawanojazzfest.org.