About the Festival

2025 will be the 16th Annual Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival!  In 2010, the first Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival (MAJF) was launched by the Jazz Academy of Music, Inc., a Maryland non-profit organization, whose mission is to advance and preserve jazz music through education and outreach.  The MAJF’s three-day event has been a huge success, with attendance of thousands of jazz lovers each year.  Attendees are comprised of listeners, educators, students, parents and musicians.  Attendees travel to the festival from points all along the Mid-Atlantic seaboard and beyond.  

The MAJF showcases local and touring jazz artists of traditional genres.  Also showcased are the gospel and blues genres that are primary influences of jazz music.  One of the most important aspects of the festival is the focus on the education of young musicians.  Middle and high school, as well as collegiate, level jazz bands perform at the festival.  The students also have the opportunity to attend master classes conducted by the touring musicians that are performing at the festival, film screenings covering legacy musicians, play in open “jam sessions” with professional musicians and of course see the pros in live performances.  Many of these opportunities are free and open to the public.

The MAJF programming consists of 3 days of jazz music performances by some of the top musicians in the country.  Artists like NEA Jazz Masters Ellis Marsalis, Brian Lynch, Roy Haynes, Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis and Jimmy Heath; renowned pianist, the late Mulgrew Miller; saxophonist Bobby Watson and trumpeter Terrell Stafford have graced our stage.  In addition, the event has an educational component that includes master classes, film screenings and interviews in front of a live audience with some of the more popular performing artists.  

 

The 2025 event will include:

  • 12 – 15 marquee performances on the Main Stage,
  • 12 – 15 performances on our Q (Quincy) and Bayou Stages
  • Free performances on our Lobby Stage,
  • Free master classes, interviews, film screenings, state of jazz discussions and other humanities programming,
  • Vendors of cultural art and couture, and
  • Free jam sessions for all ages.
REGISTER ONLINE NOWHIGH SCHOOL BAND APPLICATION (PDF)
HIGH SCHOOL BAND APPLICATION (PDF)

OPPORTUNITY

     The competition will include more than 12 high school jazz bands that are from schools located in the Mid-Atlantic States, including North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, the District of Columbia and beyond.   Members of the band must attend the same high school.  The competition will begin at 8:00AM on Saturday, February 15th at the MAJF’s Discovery Stage location.  Each band will have a maximum of 25 minutes on stage to set up, perform, break down and exit the stage.  Bands must adhere to these timeframes.   Band Directors may select three (3) compositions of their choice to perform, however, the entire program must be Jazz orientated, (i.e. Swing Jazz, Bebop Jazz, Latin Jazz, or Funk Jazz) and at least 2 of the 3 selections must be of contrasting styles. The panel will include 3 judges and 2 clinicians.  Immediately following each performance, one of the MAJF clinicians will conduct a private clinic to provide immediate feedback on the band’s performance.  

     At 4:15pm, three finalists will be named and will proceed to the festival’s Main Stage location for a final playoff which will begin at 5:00PM.  Each finalist will play two selections of their choice.  The panel of judges for the final playoff will be augmented with one of the touring musicians that are performing at the MAJF.  At the end of the playoff, the first-, second- and third- place trophies and cash award will be awarded.  

     Admittance to the competition will be on a first paid first served basis and will be determined by the postmark date.

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AWARDS

The Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival High School Band Competition will culminate with the presentation of the awards.  The awards presentation will take place on the festival’s Main Stage.   There are three (3) band awards, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and three (3) individual awards that will be given to the outstanding soloists in the competition.  Each band award recipient will receive a trophy.  The registration fee will be waived for the 1st place band for next year.

Last year’s first place winner was Newark Academy; Newark, New Jersey; Director, Julius Tolentino

 

Each individual award recipient will receive a plaque and a scholarship to attend the Jazz Academy Summer JAM Camp or Lab valued at $625.00.  This represents a full scholarship to JAM Camp and a partial scholarship to JAM Lab.  Students are taught jazz improvisation, history and are paired by skill level in combo groups to play and perform various compositions representing various periods of jazz music.  For more information on JAM Camp or Lab, please visit our website at www.jazzacademy.org.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND ATTENDANCE

     We are pleased to join the Marriott Hotel as our venue sponsor for the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival.  The Bethesda Marriott Hotel is a stylish hotel and event venue.  It is the perfect location for the MAJF with over 19,000 square feet of expansive and flexible space.  It is located at 5150 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814. 

     The hotel features a staff committed to excellence, extraordinary dining options, and an outstanding location with complimentary shuttle service to the Washington Metro Transit’s – Medical Center Station – Red Line (www.wmata.com) making it extremely accessible to most of the popular tourist destinations in Maryland and Washington, DC.  Performance space, accommodations, food, vendors, and more are all indoors under one roof.  The hotel is minutes from world-class shopping and over 200 restaurants.  It is also conveniently located to all area airports, major highways and the Amtrak train station, Union Station.  The festival rates start at $139.00 per night for rooms with single-king or double-queen bedding options.  We recommend that hotel reservations be made as soon as possible as the hotel will be fully booked for the festival.  Guests must tell the hotel reservationist that they are attending the MAJF (Group Name: MFA) to get the festival room rate.

     For special group accommodations for your band, please contact the hotel event manager Katherine Roberts at 301-564-5464 and reference the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival.  Katherine will work with you to adjust the rooms to book contiguous rooms on the same floor and to structure meal plans for your band members if desired. 

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Warm-up and Performance Timeframes and Logistics

     Each band will be provided with an individual that will serve as its MAJF liaison at the festival. The liaison will escort the band to the rehearsal space and to the stage area and will be available to answer questions and assist with other needs and requirements.  Each band will be provided access to a room to tune and warm up prior to its competition performance on the MAJF’s Atrium stage.  The rehearsal room will be equipped with a piano, and a full drum set.  Bass and Guitar amps are not provided.  Each band will be allowed up to 30 minutes in the warm-up room just prior to its performance time.  Approximately 15 minutes before a band’s scheduled performance time, the Band Director should send the band’s setup crew to the Discovery Stage performance area. The only equipment available on stage will be a piano, a drum set without cymbals, chairs, stands and sufficient microphones.   While backline will be provided, schools may choose to bring their own equipment.  However, on-stage time will not be extended beyond 25 minutes.  Schools must bring all of their own percussion equipment, including vibraphones.  Approximately 10 minutes before the scheduled performance time, the rest of the band should move to the performance area. Each band will have a maximum of 25 minutes on stage to set up, perform, break down and exit the stage.   

Performance Requirements

     Upon check-in for the competition, the Band Director shall provide the completed “Repertoire Form” (attached).  The form should include the names of the soloists, so that each soloist can be considered for the outstanding soloist awards.  The performance rules are as follows:

  • On-stage time may not exceed 25 minutes including set-up, performance, breakdown and exit
  • The entire performance must be Jazz-oriented (i.e. Swing Jazz, Bebop Jazz, Latin Jazz, or Funk Jazz)
  • Two of the three selections must be of contrasting styles
  • Directors are encouraged to vary the tempo of the selections and demonstrate the use of dynamics.
REGISTER ONLINE NOWHIGH SCHOOL BAND APPLICATION (PDF)