Non-Competitive Band Festival

Since the early '90s the Jazzworks Non-Competitive Band Festival (NCBF) has provided junior high and high school students playing within large jazz ensembles the opportunity to participate in a series of clinics and performances in a non-competitive environment.

Started as a component of an educational program run by the Yardbird Suite, the Jazzworks NCBF was further developed by Littlebirds Big Band Director, Gordon Towell, with the intention of providing an enhanced workshop experience for young jazz musicians - an intergal sector of the jazz community. Now an initiative of the Edmonton Jazz Festival Society (2006), and under the direction of Marty Majorowicz, Jazzworks continues to allow these large jazz ensembles from across western Canada to be workshopped while enjoy an inspiring learning experience with their peers.

Morning sessions at the Jazzworks NCBF are divided into 90-minute clinics that offer an opportunity for ensembles to receive constructive feedback on technique, style, and professionalism from a panel of acclaimed clinicians. Each evening culminates with Showcases at Edmonton’s most renowned jazz venue, the Yardbird Suite. Ensembles participating in the festival who choose to perform in these Showcases are given 30 minutes to present their pieces in a concert setting in front of their peers, invited guests, and jazz supporters.

Through the Jazzworks NCBF, it is the our hope to foster the development of Canada's future jazz musicians and to encourage learning through modeling.