MHS bands to perform in Jazz Championships, Bandmasters event

     Monticello High School bands will be performing in a pair of prestigious events in the next two months.

Iowa Jazz Championships

     The Monticello High School Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mike Kowbel, will be participating in Class 2A at the 43^rd Annual Iowa Jazz Championships on Thursday, April 5 in Ames.

     The annual state championship event invites the top 15 jazz ensembles for each class 1A-4A (60 bands total), bringing together many of Iowa’s finest young jazz musicians to compete in one of the largest one day festivals in the nation. Jazz bands qualify through district and independent qualifying festivals. Each jazz ensemble performs a twenty-minute set before a panel of three judges during the morning and afternoon competition. The top two performing jazz bands from each class will then compete that evening in Stephens Auditorium for the Iowa Jazz Championship state titles.

     The Monticello High School Jazz Enemble will perform at 10:30 a.m. in the Scheman Building on the campus of Iowa State University. The afternoon award ceremony will take place in Stephens Auditorium at 5:15 p.m., and the Championship Concert will begin at 7 p.m.  Admission to the daytime competition is $10. The evening finals competition is free.

Iowa Bandmasters

Association Conference

     The Monticello High School Concert Band was one of eight Iowa high school bands selected to perform at the 91^st annual Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference held May 10-12 at the Marriott Downtown in Des Moines.

     Monticello’s 42-member ensemble was the only band chosen in the Class 2A High School division. Bands submit applications for performance in early January and are notified of selection shortly thereafter. These bands are considered to be the premier performing ensembles in Iowa schools and selection to perform at the IBA Conference is one of the highest honors awarded in the state of Iowa.

     Monticello’s band is under the direction of Mike Kowbel. The Monticello band program is also taught by Jill Dobel. This will be the band’s first performance at the IBA Conference.

     Exact date and time of Monticello’s performance will be announced in the coming weeks.