Soloist Awards:

Class 1A – Andrea Lee on Alto Sax from St. Charles West HS 
(special mention- Vincent Wiley 8th grade Bass trombone from Sherrard HS I)
Class 2A – Ethan Buck on Alto Sax from Iowa City West HS I
Class 3A – Kolbe Schnoebeleu on Trombone from Iowa City HS I
Class 4A – Chris Pregmon on Bass from Lincolnway East HS I
(special mention- Takeru Satoh Alto Sax from Schaumburg HS I)

High School 2nd Bands-Small School– Nathan Gall on Guitar from Iowa City West HS II

High School 2nd Bands-Large School– Aval Zaucha on keyboard form Bolingbrook HS II

In addition to winning the Soloist Award for their class, the Outstanding Combo and Junior High Soloists will each also receive a $250 Scholarship provided by Midwest Young Artists that can be used for either the 2019 Chicago Jazz Workshop or the 2019-20 Season at the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory Jazz Program.

Combo Class- Garrett Munz on Alto Sax from Mundelein HS Combo

Junior High School Class- Adam Blendermann on Bass from River Trails MS

Class Awards:

Junior High Class
3rd place- Old Quarry MS
2nd place- Sperreng/Truman MS
1st place- Cooper MS

Second Band Class-Small School 
3rd Place – Champaign Central HS II
2nd place- Beloit Memorial HS II
1st place- Iowa City HS II

Second Band Class- Large School    
3rd place- Lake Zurich HS II
2nd Place – Bolingbrook HS II
1st Place- Lindbergh HS II

Combos           
Tie 2nd place- Wheeling HS and Mundelein HS
1st Place- Oswego HS

Class 1A
Tie 2nd Place- St. Charles West HS and Sherrard HS I
1st Place – Jersey Community HS 

Class 2A
3rd Place – Lakes Community HS I
2nd Place – Champaign Central HS I
1st Place – Iowa City West HS I

Class 3A
3rd Place – Beloit Memorial I
2nd Place- Iowa City HS I
1st Place- John Hersey HS I

Class 4A
3rd Place – Naperville North HS I
2nd Place- Warren HS I
1st Place – Lincoln-way East HS I

Grand Champion for the RMHS Jazz In the Meadows 2020:  
Iowa City HS West High School directed by Rich Medd

The Rolling Meadows High School Music Boosters presented the 35th Annual Jazz in the Meadows Jazz Festival, on Saturday, February 29, 2020.   Over 100 jazz bands and combos representing 60 schools from five states participated in what is one of the largest and most highly regarded jazz gatherings in the Midwest.   

The Noontime Concert featured JEFF HEDBERG and C11.  Jeff Hedberg is a Chicago-based, jazz vocalist, flugelhorn/trumpet player, band leader and educator.  Jeff currently teaches at Harper College in Palatine, IL, directing the Harper College Jazz Ensemble. He also teaches at Stevenson Middle School in Melrose Park, IL, where he teaches music theory, modern band, choir and serves as the Middle School Fine Arts Dept. Coordinator.  Jeff is also the leader and founder of JEFF HEDBERG & C11.  This unique Chicago-based jazz group, founded in April 2008, is dedicated to preserving and performing the legendary "dek-tette" arrangements of master arranger, Marty Paich. 

The Grand Finale Concert included the four high school class winners and a performance by a special guest artist.  This year’s artist was MARQUIS HILL and the BLACKTET.  One of the finest trumpeters in jazz today, Marquis Hill is a composer and bandleader whose comprehensive vision highlights the unity and continuity within the musical heritage of African- Americans. On acclaimed albums Hill and his working band, the Blacktet, use their next-level musicianship and deeply interactive dynamic to break down the barriers separating bop, hip-hop, R&B and electronic music.   Born in Chicago in 1987 and raised on the city’s South Side, Hill absorbed the jazz tradition both formally and informally, gaining knowledge from his elders on gigs and at jam sessions. By the time he won the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz competition in the fall of 2014, his reputation for fluid virtuosity was firmly established in the Midwest—as a member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, an in-demand sideman and a leader with several buzz-worthy self-released discs to his credit. 

Thank you to all who attended our event this year.  Many thanks to the many parent and student volunteers who make this festival a success every year.  See you in 2021!