2027 Jazz Festival 

Featuring Camille thurman - april 3

Since 2017, the Taft Band Program has been proud to host a local Jazz Festival here in San Antonio, TX for both middle and high school jazz programs. The Spring 202 festival will take place on Saturday, April 3rd at William H. Taft HS. All performing groups will receive audio comments from all judges, and a recording of your ensemble, in addition to discounted tickets to the host concert for participating students. 

We are thrilled to announce this year's guest artist for the host concert- Ms. Camille Thurman! 

As a composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and unique interpreter of the jazz tradition, she is quickly becoming one of the standard bearers for the form, making a considerable and dynamic contribution to the legacy of jazz while paying tribute to its heroes.

Fluid and powerful on the tenor saxophone and highly inventive as a vocalist, she also plays bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo. Her rich sax sound has been compared to Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon, while her vocal approach—including an impressive scatting ability—has been classified alongside those of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter.

In a few short years, Thurman has shared stages with such jazz and R&B luminaries as George Coleman, Roy Haynes, Dianne Reeves, Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JALCO) featuring Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Charles Tolliver, Jack DeJohnette, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Hendricks, Harry Connick Jr., Jon Batiste, Audra MacDonald, Diana Krall, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Louis Hayes, Russell Malone, Nicholas Payton, Jacky Terrasson, Janelle Monáe, Alicia Keys, Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, among others.

Registration opens at 8 AM on October 26, 2026 at www.TaftRaiderBand.org, All registration payments are due no later than February 1st, 2027. Groups that register and do not submit payment (or purchase order) will have their position opened up to the ensemble waitlist. The entry fee is $400.00 for each band which will include professional recording services for your band. All participating bands get a discounted ticket rate of $10 per ticket for participating student performers and directors. Additional tickets will be on sale for $15 each for non-performers who would like to attend the concert. 

The festival goes throughout the day and is free and open to the public. The ticketed host concert and awards ceremony begins at 7:30 PM and features our guest artist.

Payment is available online through card payment, or an automatically generated invoice for PO or check payments. Please make all checks payable to Taft Raider Band Boosters.

Mail payments to Attention: Taft Raider Band Boosters, 11600 Culebra Rd. San Antonio, TX 78253.

For questions, please contact:  Mr. Greg Mills at gregory.mills@nisd.net