Next Generation Jazz Festival

Specialties

Every spring, Monterey Jazz Festival invites the top student musicians from across the country and around the world to participate in the Next Generation Jazz Festival. Over 100 performances will take place March 27 – 29, 2015.

All Next Generation Jazz Festival events and activities — From Friday night’s Kick-​Off Concert through Saturday and Sunday’s Next Generation Jazz Festival Jazz Competition are open to the public, free of charge. The Festival will also conduct clinics, workshops, jam sessions, and auditions in the heart of historic Monterey, with music to be performed at the Monterey Conference Center, the host Portola Hotel, and the Museum of Monterey.

History

Established in 1971.

Introduced in 1971 as the California High School Jazz Band Competition by Monterey Jazz Festival Founder Jimmy Lyons, the competition was conceived as a way to bring talented student groups to Monterey, and to cultivate musicians for the future.

Renamed the Next Generation Jazz Festival in 2003, more than 1200 students in more than 60 bands participate in the Next Generation Jazz Festival. The public can enjoy the largest gathering of jazz talent in Northern California, outside of the Monterey Jazz Festival itself, with more than 100 performances from Friday night through Sunday. All events are free,