Suburban Youth Jazz Ensemble Headed to New York For National Competition

WDCB’s Gary Zidek checks in with the Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage as it prepares to compete in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s annual Essentially Ellington competition.

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Suburban Youth Jazz Ensemble Headed to New York For National Competition

Gary Zidek

The Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage is headed back to New York to compete in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band competition. This is the group’s third year in a row competing in the prestigious competition. The Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage is an all-star group made up of the best high school players in the western suburbs. The organization was founded by Robert Blazek back in 1998 and grown over the years into one of the area’s top conglomerate jazz enembles.

You can find more info about the Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage at yjed.org. This year’s Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival takes place April 30 through May 2. More details are at jazz.org