Once again we’d like to invite you to join us at The Venue in Aurora. This is free to the school but there is a $10 fee for parents and other guests.
Due to limited space on the stage we ask that you limit your group size to 25 or less. If you have more students than this please figure out a rotation schedule for the performance. In addition to listening to the Pete Ellman Big Band perform we invite directors to sit in with us and if you’d like we’ll feature you on a song or two. There are also opportunities for students to sit in during the PEBB performance.
Here are the dates for the upcoming 2024 – 2025 school year
| DATE | Assigned School(s) | Director Name(s) |
| 10/1/2024 | Youth Jazz Ens of DuPage | Robert Blazek |
| 10/8/2024 | St. Charles North HS | John Wojciechowski |
| 10/15/2024 | Elmhurst College | Kirk Garrison |
| 10/22/2024 | Addison Trail HS | Mike Kennedy |
| 10/29/2024 | College of DuPage | Matt Shevitz |
| 11/5/2024 | Hinsdale South HS | Matt Goeke |
| 11/12/2024 | Batavia HS | Brian VanKley |
| 11/19/2024 | Lisle HS (2 groups) | Scott Gumina & Phillip Meyer |
| 11/26/2024 | Maine South HS | Christopher Buti |
| 12/3/2024 | Downers Grove North HS | Jessen Smith |
| 12/10/2024 | Hinsdale Central HS (2 groups) | Grace Adduci & Matt Kurinsky |
| 12/17/2024 | Bolingbrook HS | Bob Hanerhoff |
| 12/24/2024 | Off | |
| 12/31/2024 | Off | |
| 1/7/2025 | Yorkville HS | Robert Vreizen |
| 1/14/2025 | Oswego & Oswego East HS | Kevin Schoenbach & Stevan Rexroat |
| 1/21/2025 | Homewood Floosmoor HS | Sarah Whitlock |
| 1/28/2025 | Rotolo MS & Batavia HS | Keith Osvath & Brian VanKley |
| 2/4/2025 | Evanston HS | Matt Bufis |
| 2/11/2025 | Metea Valley High School | Josh Kaminsky |
| 2/18/2025 | West Aurora HS (2 groups) | Greg Hensel & Victor Anderson |
| 2/25/2025 | Dekalb HS | Steve Lundin |
| 2/27/2025 | PEBB Jazz Fest Day 1 | Vocal Jazz |
| 2/28/2025 | PEBB Jazz Fest Day 2 | Instrumental Jazz Groups |
| 3/1/2025 | PEBB Jazz Fest Day 3 | Instrumental Jazz Groups |
| 3/5/2025 (Weds) | Dundee Crown HS | Will Brocker |
| 3/11/2025 | East Aurora HS (2 groups) | Brian Liska |
| 3/18/2025 | West Chicago HS | Marissa Janiszewski |
| 3/25/2025 | Nequa Valley HS | Jonathan Lauff |
| 4/1/2025 | Libertyville HS | Matt Karnstadt |
| 4/8/2025 | Waubonsie Valley HS (2 groups) | Tom Tait & Kevin Carroll |
| 4/15/2025 | Rolling Meadows & Plainfield Central HS | Elliot Hile & Ryan Kazda |
| 4/22/2025 | Wheaton Warrenville South & Sycamore HS | Christopher Miller & Scott Mertens |
| 4/29/2025 | Plainfield North & South HS | Jason La Vallee & Luke Podvrsan |
| 5/6/2025 | Blackhawk MS & Thornridge HS | William Winters & Sam Pilnick |
| 5/13/2025 | Niles West HS | Justin Johnson |
| 5/20/2025 | Hinsdale Middle School | George Andrikokus |
| 5/27/2025 | Clarendon Hills Middle School | Eric Morong |
Single groups, your band will perform a 1/2 hour set from 6:45 – 7:15 pm and the Pete Ellman Big Band will play from 7:30 – 9pm. Two groups from the same school will start at 6:30 and end at 7:15 pm. Two groups from separate schools will start at 6:30 and end at 7:30 pm. We ask that you plan to stay until 9 pm with your students so they get the experience of listening to, and in some cases, playing with a professional big band. “The Venue” in Aurora is a world class performance facility that you, your students, and parents are sure to enjoy! We provide stands for a typical big band set up as well as mics, drumset, bass amp (new Hartke), and piano.
Click Here to sign-up for any open performance dates. The link became active at 9:00 am on Monday, August 26, 2024, and will remain active as long as there open dates on the calendar.