28th ANNUAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
Presented by the University of Houston Moores School of Music, join us in celebrating 28 years of extraordinary jazz at the University of Houston, featuring world class trumpet player, Wayne Bergeron!
Jazz Festival Concerts
Experience two unforgettable nights of music with Wayne Bergeron and the Moores School of Music Jazz Orchestra.
Join us for a weekend of unforgettable jazz! The festival opens Friday, February 21, 2025, with a performance by Houston’s own jazz musicians. Then, on Saturday, February 22, the Moores School of Music Jazz Orchestra welcomes special guest Wayne Bergeron for a thrilling evening led by director Noe Marmolejo, celebrating the future of Houston’s jazz scene.
Join us for an unforgettable weekend of music—tickets are on sale now!
Interested in participating as a student jazz band? Click below to explore registration details, clinic information, and award opportunities.
Jump to Student Band Details
Featuring Wayne Bergeron, Trumpet
Wayne Bergeron is enjoying a career as one of the most sought-after musicians in the world.
Studio sessions, film dates, international touring, jazz concerts, guest appearances, and clinics keep him busy not only in his hometown of Los Angeles but worldwide.
Bergeron first caught the ear of many when he landed the lead trumpet chair with Maynard Ferguson’s band in 1986. Bergeron demonstrates daily why Maynard remarked, “Wayne is the most musical lead trumpet player I’ve had on my band.”
As a sideman, Bergeron’s list of recording credits reads like a “who’s who” in contemporary jazz and pop, running the stylistic gamut from Ray Charles to Green Day. Other names include Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand, Michael Buble, Indina Menzel, Leslie Oden Jr, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Seal, Diana Krall, Christina Aguilera, Dianne Reeves, The Mars Volta, Rosemary Cloony, Diane Schuur, Barry Manilow, Kenny G., and David Benoit.
Bergeron has worked on over 500 TV & motion picture soundtracks. A partial list of film credits includes Red Notice, Turning Red, Soul, Bob’s Burgers, Ford vs. Ferrari, Toy Story 4, Frozen 1 & 2, The Lion King (2019), The Secret Life of Pets, Crazy Rich Asians, Sing 1&2, Moana, Frozen 1 & 2, Toy Story 3, High School Musical 3, Superman Returns, The Simpson’s Movie, Dreamgirls, Hairspray, Spiderman 1 & 2, Team America and South Park.
Bergeron’s featured trumpet solos can be heard on the motion pictures West Side Story (2021 Steven Spielberg), La La Land, Sing,
The Incredibles 1 & 2, Rocky Balboa, The Secret Life of Pets 2, Minions, Minions 2:The Rise of Gru, Spies in Disguise, Jersey Boys, Despicable Me, Aladdin King of Thieves, and many others.
Numerous TV credits include Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, SAG Awards, NBC, ESPN & TNT sports themes, Grammy Awards, Animaniacs Reboot, Family Guy, American Dad, Simpson’s, Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Phineas & Ferb, House of Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, and Hey Arnold.
Bergeron’s greatest love is playing lead in big bands. He has recorded and played with some of Los Angeles’ most respected bands including Quincy Jones, Gordon Goodwin, Pat Williams, Sammy Nestico, Jack Sheldon, Chris Walden, Tom Kubis, and Bob Florence.
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Jazz Festival Student Bands Details
Throughout the day on Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28 registered college, high school, junior high, and middle school jazz bands and combos
will perform in the incomparable UH Moores Opera House. Each registered band will
have a thirty-minute performance slot followed by a thirty-minute judges’ clinic immediately following.
At noon on Friday and Saturday, guest artist Wayne Bergeron will present a FREE short performance and clinic in the Moores Opera House that is open to all participating bands and the general
public.
As usual, awards will be given for outstanding MS/HS bands of each day, as well as
for the festival. In addition, All Star awards will be presented to soloists along
with outstanding MS/HS soloist of the day and the festival. All Star awards will be
given throughout the day and included in the judges’ packets given to the directors.
All Outstanding Festival awards will be presented on Saturday, February 28; the Outstanding
Awards for each day will be presented during the evening concerts on both Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28. Directors may receive their trophies/medals during the evening concerts or may pick
them up at the Moores School of Music after the festival.
Selected award-winning soloists will be invited to perform with the Moores Jazz Orchestra on April 23, 2026. Award-winning soloists will also receive scholarships to the Texas Music Festival Jazz Institute, June 21-26, 2026. (please note: this applies to outstanding soloists of the day and the festival, not
all-star awards)
| Participation Type | Priority Registration Fees (payment deadline is January 16, 2025) |
Late Registration Fees |
| Big Band | $350 | $400 |
| College Combo | $350 | $400 |
| Middle/High School Combo | $300 | $350 |
Moores School of Music will be accepting priority registrations/payments until January 16, 2026.
Directors can register late for an additional fee as long as slots are available. PLEASE NOTE A CHANGE IN POLICY: To receive the discounted rate, credit card payments must be made and checks postmarked by the posted deadline. Late registration and ALL payments are due by January 26. 2026.
For other inquiries, please email caa@central.uh.edu or call 713.743.3398.
Register your Band/Combo hereFriday and Saturday, February 27-28, 2025:
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Student Jazz Bands:
- Check-in begins at 7:00 a.m., followed by activities and events from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Each registered band will be assigned a thirty-minute warmup, a thirty-minute performance slot, followed by a thirty-minute judges’ clinic. The total scheduled time is approximately 1.5 hours per band/combo.
- 12:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday: Guest artist Wayne Bergeron will present a FREE short performance and clinic in the Moores Opera House that is open to all participating bands and the general public.
- 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday: Attend the Jazz Festival concerts. Complimentary concert tickets are available to registered bands who RSVP. The public can purchase tickets HERE.
Location: Moores School of Music, University of Houston, 3333 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77204