Members of the Downers Grove North High School Jazz Bands took their show on the road this past weekend, participating in the 19th Annual Purdue University Jazz Festival. The Purdue festival, which draws outstanding high school jazz programs from Indiana, Michigan and Illinois, began on Friday, January 16 with a concert featuring the Mingus Big Band and continued all day Saturday, January 17 with hundreds of student musicians performing for panels of internationally recognized jazz musicians.
Each of the three jazz ensembles from DGN, the Jazz Ensemble, the Jazz Lab Band, and the Jazz Combo, received Division I recognition in their respective classes. Additionally, the following students were recognized with Outstanding Soloist and Musicianship awards:
- Shauna Bracken, trumpet
- Joseph Butler, trombone
- Nicholas Georgen, drums
- Jonathan Parthun, drums
- Michael Pool, guitar
- Rudy Rendek, bass
- Nolan Schillerstrom, guitar
- Bryn Sitkiewicz, trombone
- Emily Temple-Wood, piano
