Annual SteelStacks High School Jazz Band Showcase Winners Announced

Bethlehem, PA, Aril 5, 2023 – Recently, ArtsQuest held its annual SteelStacks High School Jazz Band Showcase presented by law firm King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, in partnership with Moravian University and official media partner, Service Electric Cable TV. The competition was in collaboration with a music-in-education program between ArtsQuest and Moravian University’s Music Department’s Jazz Studies Program.

After several rounds of competition, the results are in.

Section awards:

Best Reed Section: North Penn Navy Band

Best Trumpet Section: William Tennent HS Jazz Ensemble

Best Trombone Section: Upper Moreland HS Jazz Ensemble

Best Rhythm Section: Quakertown Community HS Jazz Ensemble

Band Ratings:                      

Easton Area HS Jazz Band                            SUPERIOR

Quakertown Community HS   Jazz Band      SUPERIOR

North Penn HS Navy Jazz Band                    SUPERIOR    

Upper Moreland HS Jazz Band                      SUPERIOR

LaSalle College HS Competition Band          SUPERIOR

Solo Awards:

Best Jazz Saxophone/Woodwind:      Matt Pantos (tenor sax) Upper Moreland

Best Jazz Trumpet:                             Theo Peebles (trumpet) LaSalle HS Comp Band

Best Jazz Trombone:                          Emmet Sykes (trombone) LaSalle HS Comp Band

Best Jazz Rhythm Soloist:                  Liam Ritter (guitar) Upper Moreland

Best Jazz Vocal Soloist:                     N/A

Best Overall Jazz Soloist:                   Holly Kennedy (alto sax)        North Penn Navy

Overall Band Ratings:

Winner (1^st place):                             LaSalle College HS Competition Band     

First Runner-Up** (2^nd place):          Upper Moreland HS

Second Runner-Up** (3^rd place):     Quakertown Area HS

For the past decade, the city of Bethlehem has had the privilege of hosting high school bands from over 20 different local and regional schools to compete, showcasing their extensive musical abilities. This year, more than a dozen schools from Pennsylvania and New Jersey competed in front of musical educators, judge panelists, and a live audience for awards and titles.

The High Schools represented in this year’s 2023 showcase were Bangor Area High School, Brandywine Heights High School, Delaware Valley High School (NJ), Dieruff High School, Easton High School, Fleetwood Area High School, Freedom High School, the Hill School, Kutztown High School, LaSalle College High School Competition Band, LaSalle College High School Lab Band, Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, North Penn High School Columbia Jazz Band, North Penn High School Navy Jazz Band, Pocono Mountain East High School, Quakertown High School, Southern Lehigh High School Jazz Band Society, Southern Lehigh High School Jazz Trane, Upper Moreland High School, Warren Hills High School, and Wilson Area High School.

About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, of which over 50% are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region