Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA., March 25, 2025 – ArtsQuest is proud to have hosted the 13th annual SteelStacks High School Jazz Band Showcase Finals on March 23 in the Musikfest Café. Sponsored by King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, LLC, the event featured jazz groups from Pennsylvania competing in front of a live audience and a panel of judges.
After four preliminary rounds, seven ensembles advanced to the finals, where each band performed a 20-minute set.
This project is supported by media partner, Service Electric Cable TV & Communications. The competition is a music-in-education program of ArtsQuest and the Moravian University Music Department’s Jazz Studies Program.
The results of the High School Jazz Band Showcase Finals are as follows:
Section awards:
Best Reed Section: Kutztown High School Jazz Ensemble
Best Trumpet Section: Easton High School Jazz Ensemble
Best Trombone Section: North Penn High School Navy Jazz Ensemble
Best Rhythm Section: Upper Moreland High School Jazz One
Band Ratings:
Kutztown High School Jazz Band — Superior
North Penn High School Navy Jazz Band — Superior
Upper Moreland High School Jazz One — Superior
Southern Lehigh High School Jazz Society — Excellent
North Penn High School Columbia Jazz Band — Superior
Easton Area High School Jazz Band — Superior
Quakertown Community High School Jazz Band — Superior
Solo Awards:
Best Jazz Saxophone/Woodwind — Gabe Dechellis (alto sax), Easton High School
Best Jazz Trumpet — Liz Johannesson, North Penn High School, Columbia
Best Jazz Trombone — John Petinelli, Easton High School
Best Jazz Rhythm Soloist — Liam Ritter, Upper Moreland
Best Overall Jazz Soloist — Reid Justeson (alto sax), Kutztown High School
Overall Band Ratings:
Winner (1st place): UPPER MORELAND HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ ONE
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, of which nearly 50 percent are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.
Information provided to TVL by:
Bryn Keeney
