Please accept our invitation to join the
Pete Ellman Big Band in performance,
Tuesday Nights at The Venue in Aurora.
There is no fee for participating students, but parents and other guests will be asked to pay a $10 admission fee. 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 pm and end at 7:15. Two groups from separate schools will start at 6:20 pm and end at 7:20. In addition to listening to the Pete Ellman Big Band perform, we invite directors to sit in with us on a song or two. There will also be opportunities for 2 or 3 students to sit in during the PEBB performance.
| DATE | Assigned School(s) | Director Name(s) |
| 10/6/2026 | John Hersey HS | Spencer Hile |
| 10/13/2026 | College of DuPage | Matt Shevitz |
| 10/20/2026 | St. Charles North HS | John Wojciechowski & Kevin Dobbeck |
| 10/27/2026 | Woodstock HS | Kevin Fredrick |
| 11/3/2026 | Youth Jazz Enemble of Dupage | Robert Blazek |
| 11/10/2026 | Downers Grove South HS (2 bands) | Shane Nelson & Justin Barnish |
| 11/17/2026 | Lisle HS (2 bands) | Scott Gumina & Philip Meyer |
| 11/24/2026 | ||
| 12/2/2026 (Wed) | Downers Grove North HS | Jessen Smith |
| 12/8/2026 | Dundee-Crown HS (2 bands) | William Brocker |
| 12/15/2026 | ||
| 12/22/2026 | ||
| 12/29/2026 | ||
| 1/5/2027 | ||
| 1/12/2027 | Batavia HS & Barrington HS | Brian Van Kley & Kevin Krivosik |
| 1/19/0207 | Prospect HS | Peter Weber |
| 1/26/2027 | Blackhawk MS & Kaneland HS | William Winters & Kyle Baltzer |
| 2/2/2027 | Oswego HS (2 bands) | Kevin Schoenbach & Robert Fay |
| 2/10/2027(Wed) | Yorkville HS (2 bands) | Bobby Vreizen |
| 2/16/2027 | Mundelein HS (2 bands) | Andy Sturgeon & Jerry Shelato |
| 2/23/2027 | Sandwich HS & Sycamore HS | Brett Harris & Scott Mertens |
| 3/2/2027 | Hinsdale Central High School (2 bands) | Matt Kurinsky & Grace Tait |
| 3/9/2027 | Oswego East HS (2 bands) | Stevan Rexroat & Jeremy Sison |
| 3/16/2027 | West Chicago HS (2 bands) | Marissa Janiszewski & Emily Heath |
| 3/23/2027 | Waubonsie Valley HS (2 bands) | James Hairston & Michael Rocha |
| 3/30/2027 | Carl Sandburg HS & Lemont HS | Stewart Bailey, Dave Nommensen & Ben Clemons |
| 4/6/2027 | Evanston HS & Plainfield North HS | Matt Bufis & Jason La Vallee |
| 4/13/2027 | St. Charles East HS | Gil Wukitsch |
| 4/17/2027 | Pete Ellman Big Band Jazz Festival | (sign-up form goes live Tues. 10/6/26 |
| 4/20/2027 | Homewood Flossmoor HS (2 bands) | Sarah Whitlock & Kelly Cooper |
| 4/27/2027 | Thornridge HS & Bolingbrook HS | Sam Pilnick & Bob Hanerhoff |
| 5/4/2027 | Hinsdale MS & Jewel MS | George Andrikokus & Jason Reiff |
| 5/11/2027 | Herget MS & West Aurora HS Jazz Workshop | Rachel Tunnell & John Sierakowski |
| 5/18/2027 | Jefferson MS & West Aurora HS Jazz Ensemble | Jennifer Duker & Greg Hensel |
| 5/25/2027 | Clarendon Hills MS & West Aurora HS Jazz Band | Eric Morong & Victor Anderson |
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. 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 microphones, drumset, bass amp, and piano keyboard.
We will be opening the sign-up for our 2026-27 Season at the Venue Tuesday. Aug 25th Click the button Below on or after the 25th.
