Photo: Students from Hannibal High School playing in the final concert at JazzFest 2026.
CANTON, Mo. — Culver-Stockton College welcomed approximately 100 high school student musicians to campus for its 26th Annual JazzFest Tuesday, Feb. 17. JazzFest is an immersive educational event designed to strengthen musicianship, expand jazz knowledge, and provide meaningful experiential learning opportunities.
This year’s festival featured five jazz bands representing four regional school districts, including two ensembles from Hannibal High School under the direction of Mike Fuller, as well as Kirksville High School (Brad Hudson), Highland High School (Nathan Sparks), and Mexico High School (Josh Yancy).
Throughout the daylong event, students participated in a series of educational clinics led by professional musicians, college faculty, and guest jazz artists. Sessions included instrument-specific sectionals for saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and rhythm sections; two full-band coaching clinics; an improvisation workshop; and a jazz history session. Students also experienced campus life through a student-led tour.
Clinicians included Culver-Stockton faculty members Dr. Trent Hollinger, Martin Gelwasser, Dr. Alex Kirby, and Dr. Scott Giltner, alongside guest educators William DeMont, Dustin Schrum, Dr. John Cooper, and Steve Grismore. Musically, participating bands explored a diverse repertoire spanning multiple jazz traditions, including swing, Afro-Cuban, funk, bossa nova, and ballad styles.
“Events like JazzFest provide high school students with a rare opportunity to work directly with industry professionals and experience a wide range of expertise,” said Dr. Hollinger, C-SC director of bands and music dept. chair. “For schools in more rural areas, assembling a comparable group of jazz artists locally is often impractical. By bringing together professionals from many facets of jazz in one place, JazzFest offers students meaningful exposure, instruction, and inspiration that would otherwise be difficult to access.”
The event also supports recruitment and relationship-building for the College’s music program.
“JazzFest brings prospective students to campus where they can experience the quality of our faculty, our facilities, the beauty of the campus, and the culture of our music program firsthand,” Dr. Hollinger said. “Participants interacted with current Culver-Stockton students through campus tours, helping them envision themselves as part of our music community.”
New elements were introduced to this year’s festival, including the addition of a second full-band rehearsal space and expanded cross-campus collaboration, highlighted by Dr. Giltner’s jazz history presentation.
High school jazz bands interested in participating in the 27th Annual JazzFest, scheduled for February 2027, are encouraged to contact Dr. Hollinger at thollinger@culver.edu to request an invitation.
Learn more about Culver-Stockton College’s music programs at https://culver.edu/majors/music/.
Contact the Marketing & Public Relations Office, at pr@culver.edu or 573-288-6000 ext. 6728 for more information.
NOTE: A number that appears immediately after a person’s name (i.e. Jane Doe ’18) is a reference to the year that person earned their bachelor’s degree from Culver-Stockton.