The Rotary Club of Edmonds Daybreakers and the City of Edmonds will welcome 22 of the best student jazz music programs statewide to perform at the Edmonds Jazz Connection on Saturday, May 26.

Three venues throughout downtown Edmonds will feature jazz performances by regional and national award-winning student big bands, trios and choirs, as well as an afternoon jam session uniting student and professional musicians for an extraordinary concert. All venues are open to the public and are free, although donations are appreciated to support the event and school music programs.

For more than a decade, Edmonds Jazz Connection has kicked off Memorial Day weekend by bringing together talented students, professional musicians and a music-loving community to showcase the best of local jazz while raising funds to support student music programs.  After a long academic year of practices, performances and touring, the student musicians enjoy the opportunity for a local non-competitive encore performance for their family, friends and neighbors as way to cap off another successful year.

This year, the 22 participating groups are bringing with them numerous national and regional awards. Topping the list are Edmonds-Woodway, Mountlake Terrace and Mead high schools, each selected in past or current years as Essentially Ellington finalists – the top national honor in high school big-band jazz.

The following groups will be performing:

Jazz Bands
Arlington High School Jazz Bands*
College Place Middle School
Edmonds Community College
Edmonds-Woodway High School*
Everett High School
Lynnwood High School
Mead High School (Spokane)
Meadowdale High School
Meadowdale Middle School
Mountlake Terrace High School

Jazz Choirs
Cascade High School
Edmonds Community College Soundsation
Edmonds-Woodway High School*
Kings Middle School
Mariner High School*
Meadowdale High School*
Shorewood High School

* Schools with more than one group performing