Elmhurst University Jazz Festival

The Elmhurst University Jazz Festival is held annually in the Hammerschmidt Chapel at Elmhurst University. The current Festival rose from the ashes of the American College Jazz Festival, which was established in 1968. The original festival took place at eight regional sites throughout the United States, one of which was Elmhurst College. Each regional festival produced a winning band, combo, and vocalist, who then performed at a national festival on Memorial Day weekend.

When the national festival disbanded in 1973, the Elmhurst Festival continued—and grew, both in size and in stature. Led by then Dean of Students, Jim Cunningham, the Festival abandoned the “winner-take-all” format and shifted the focus of the the Festival to be one of education, not competition. The Festival began to bring in notable adjudicators that not only excelled at performing and writing, but also prioritized education. Cunningham stated - “I wanted to give these college bands the chance to play and to get good critiques from knowledgable and well-known adjudicators. We wanted the kids to learn from one another and from the pros, so that this native art form didn’t go the way of the dodo.”

Doug Beach, who had led the Elmhurst College Jazz Band to high esteem since 1978, took over as Director of the Festival in 1995. The Festival had long hosted some of the nation’s top collegiate jazz ensembles, but Beach felt that it could also serve as a showcase some of Jazz’s premiere professional talent. Throughout the years, the likes of Clark Terry, Bill Holman, The Maria Schneider Orchestra, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Count Basie Orchestra, Bob Mintzer, Nicholas Payton, Pat LaBarbera, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Maynard Ferguson and Diana Krall have graced the Chapel’s stage.

Parsons’ involvement in the Festival began in 2005 when he was a junior in high school. He volunteered to work the stage crew for the Saturday Evening concert. Having just begun to dip his toes into Jazz, Parsons wasn’t sure what to expect from the performance. That night’s featured artist was the Bill Holman Band and was the first professional big band Parsons saw in person. Sitting on the side of the stage, he took in all of these new sounds and was quickly hooked. He wasn’t sure what he had heard, but he knew that it set him on the path to pursue a career in music.

In the Fall of 2006, Parsons enrolld at Elmhurst College as a Jazz Studies Major. He continued to volunteer for the Festival, serving as a Student Section Head and eventually a Student Manager. After successfully auditioning for the Elmhurst College Jazz Band, Parsons would play at the Festival for three successive years, performing with Guest Artists such as Wayne Bergeron, Gary Smulyan, Patrick Williams, Tom Scott, Dennis Mackrel, Michael Davis and Denis DiBlasio. After graduation, Parsons continued to volunteer and eventually worked his way up to a staff position.

In 2022, Parsons was hired as the Director of the (now named) Elmhurst University Jazz Festival. Humbled by the opportunity to lead the very Festival that changed his life, Parsons has fully embraced this role. Some notable artists that he has had the opportunity to bring in since he took over have been the WDR Big Band (from Köln, Germany), Dave Stryker, Anthony Wilson, Steve Kovalcheck, The Anat Cohen Tentet, Sharel Cassity, Marshal Gilkes, to name a few. He and his Festival Staff have also expanded the High School Invitational, sponsored by the Sylvia and William W. Grestch Memorial Foundation. Parsons looks forward to celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Festival in 2027.

Jazz: The American Art Form: The History of the Elmhurst University Jazz Festival, 
The NEA Jazz Master Fellowship Winners that have performed it, and why Jazz is still relevant today. 

2026 Presentation at the Elmhurst Public Library