42nd Annual Jazz Festival

NEW TRIER JAZZ FESTIVAL 2025 CELEBRATES CHICAGO’S RICH MUSICAL COMMUNITIES WITH THE PREMIERE OF THE CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD SUITE

Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 7:00 pm
Gaffney Auditorium, Winnetka Campus

We are excited to announce that The Chicago Neighborhood Project, a Chicago all-star jazz orchestra custom-built for our festival, is headlining the 42nd Annual New Trier Jazz Festival on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 7:00 pm in New Trier High School’s Gaffney Auditorium. The evening show will open with a rousing set by New Trier’s Jazz Ensemble 1, who will be joined by several notable NTJazz alumni! This concert always sells out. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at www.ntjazz.com.

The New Trier Jazz Festival has proudly hosted some of the finest jazz ensembles in the world, including legendary groups like the Count Basie Orchestra and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, as well as Grammy Award-winning ensembles such as The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. 

This year, the festival continues our excellent tradition by spotlighting Chicago’s vibrant jazz community. Chicago is the “city of neighborhoods” and home to a world-class creative music scene. The festival has brought together a group of notable Chicago jazz musicians to compose pieces that reflect their connections to the city. Joe Clark, a renowned Chicago-based composer and arranger, has arranged nine of these tunes into a sweeping suite for jazz orchestra entitled The Chicago Neighborhood Suite. We’re bringing together 17 of Chicago’s finest jazz performers - The Chicago Neighborhood Project - to take listeners on a sonic tour through Chicago’s richly diverse musical landscape. This is a world-premiere performance that should not be missed!

In its 42nd year, the New Trier Jazz Festival will welcome more than 40 high school and middle school jazz ensembles to our non-competitive event. Throughout the day, students will perform for distinguished jazz clinicians, participate in workshops and master classes, enjoy concerts, and connect with fellow young jazz enthusiasts like themselves. All daytime events are free and open to the public. You can find the full schedule at www.ntjazz.com.

For questions about the event, please contact Nic Meyer, Director of Jazz Ensembles. For ticket inquiries, contact Sarah Kropski, Project Specialist.