Last spring the Mundelein High School Jazz Ensemble was selected to perform at the 2020 Midwest Clinic:  International Band and Orchestra Festival which has been held in Chicago for the past 75 years. The event draws nearly 18,000 professional musicians and educators from the US and more than 40 countries. This year, Mundelein High School was one of only four high school jazz bands from across the country selected to perform.

Because of the pandemic the convention turned digital while the selected performing ensembles have had their performances deferred to the 2021 festival. The original performance time had been scheduled to be Thursday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. and the students put together a virtual performance for the occasion. The video was also shared to Chicagoland music teachers at a virtual Quinlan and Fabish Midwest Clinic Gala also featuring jazz icons Doc Severensin and Branform Marsalis.

https://www.midwestclinic.org/default.aspx

“We also decided to make our group photo a little more realistic to this year’s school experience,” said Andy Sturgeon who, along with Jerald Shelato, directs the instrumental music program at MHS. The video may be viewed here:

https://youtu.be/MLL2nFoHD5g