Please accept our invitation once again 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.
Here are the dates for the upcoming 2025 – 2026 school year
| DATE | Assigned School(s) | Director Name(s) |
| 10/7/2025 | John Hersey HS | Spencer Hile |
| 10/14/2025 | St. Charles North HS | John Wojciechowski |
| 10/21/2025 | College of DuPage (2 bands) | Matt Shevitz |
| 10/28/2025 | Albert Einstein Gymnasium (Boblingen Germany) | Janni Stefan |
| 11/4/2025 | Evanston HS | Matt Bufis |
| 11/11/2025 | Bolingbrook High School (2 bands) | Robert Hanerhoff |
| 11/18/2025 | Lisle HS (2 bands) | Scott Gumina & Phillip Meyer |
| 11/25/2025 | Prospect HS (1 band – 1 combo) | Peter Weber |
| 12/2/2025 | Naperville Central HS (1 band – 1 combo) | DJ Alstadt |
| 12/9/2025 | Dundee-Crown HS (2 bands) | Will Brocker |
| 12/16/2025 | Hinsdale MS & Batavia HS | George Andrikokus & Brian VanKley |
| 12/23/2025 | Off for the Holidays | |
| 12/30/2025 | Off for the Holidays | |
| 1/6/2026 | Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage | Robert Blazek |
| 1/13/2026 | Addison Trail HS (2 bands) | Michael Kennedy & Alex Stombres |
| 1/20/0206 | Oswego HS (2 bands) | Craig Roselieb |
| 1/27/2026 | Rotolo MS & Batavia HS | Keith Ozsvath & Brian VanKley |
| 2/3/2026 | Yorkville HS (2 bands) | Bobby Vriezen & Angelo Makropoulos |
| 2/10/2026 | Mundelein HS (2 bands) | Andy Sturgeon & Jerry Shelato |
| 2/18/2026 (WED) | Waubonsie Valley HS (2 bands) | James Hairston |
| 2/20/2026 | PEBB Jazz Festival Day 1 | Online Registration begins 11/11/2025 |
| 2/21/2026 | PEBB Jazz Festival Day 2 | |
| 2/24/2026 | Kaneland HS & Nequa Valley HS | Kyle Baltzer & Jonathan Luaff |
| 3/3/2026 | Oswego East HS (2 bands) | Stevan Rexroat & Jeremy Sison |
| 3/10/2026 | Leman MS & West Chicago HS | Zach Hoffman & Marissa Janiszewski |
| 3/17/2026 | Blackhawk MS & Providence Catholic HS | Bill Winters & Michael Rocha |
| 3/24/2026 | Naperville North HS (2 bands) | John Gonzalez & Michael Jeszke |
| 3/31/2026 | Dekalb HS (2 bands) | Devonte Merrick |
| 4/7/2026 | Hinsdale Central HS (2 bands) | Matt Kurinsky & Grace Adduci |
| 4/14/2026 | Clarendon Hills MS & Plainfield North HS | Eric Morong & Jason La Vallee |
| 4/21/2026 | Thornridge HS & Sycamore HS | Sam Pilnick & Scott Mertens |
| 4/28/2026 | Homewood-Flossmor HS (2 bands) | Sarah Whitlock & Kelly Cooper |
| 5/5/2026 | Downers Grove South HS (2 bands) | Shane Nelson & Aaron Kennedy |
| 5/12/2026 | Downers Grove North HS (2 bands) | Jessen Smith & Gina Wych |
| 5/19/2026 | West Aurora HS (2 bands) | Greg Hensel & Victor Anderson |
| 5/26/2026 | Jewell MS & West Aurora HS | Jason Reiff & John Sierakowski |
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.
Click Here to sign-up for a performance date. This link will become active at 9:00 am on November 11, and will remain active as long as there are open dates on the calendar..