(Peru, Neb.) Five area high school and junior high bands recently took top honors at Peru State College’s (PSC) 35th Annual Jazz Festival.

Dr. Patrick Fortney, associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and festival coordinator, said, “We look forward to the Jazz Festival every year not only for the rousing music, but also the thrill of the competition. The bands that competed this year were top-notch. Unfortunately, only one can take the top prize in each division, which left our judge making some difficult decisions.”

The winners in each class, and their directors, are:
     Middle School, Division II: Auburn Middle School - Zac Konrad
     Class C: Yutan Senior High School - Doug Ramsey
     Class B: Griswold (Iowa) Senior High School - Denise Mardesen
     Class A: Norris Senior High School - Evan Lee
     Class AA: Elkhorn Senior High School - Michelle Bluford

The bands were judged by composer and jazz musician Dr. Randall Snyder. Snyder is head of the Composition Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he was appointed the school’s first Composer-in-Residence in 1996. In addition to composition, Snyder teaches courses in jazz, ethnomusicology and rock & roll. He has numerous published works and several of his compositions have been recorded on the CRS, VMM, North/South, Coronet, Opus One and Elan labels. Snyder has performed, recorded and toured with a wide range of jazz artists, most notably legendary Kansas City pianist Jay McShann.