2025 Taft Jazz Festival - Featuring Felix De Leon - april 12

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 2025 festival will take place on Saturday, April 12th 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- Mr. Felix DeLeon, Houston-based trumpet player, and extortionary educator!

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Felix DeLeon came from a family of Church musicians and learned at an early age how to play by ear. He started off learning piano and wasn’t introduced to the trumpet until high school. He attended Mac Arthur High School, which is known for their excellence in Jazz and Latin Jazz studies. Through his experiences with the MacArthur Jazz program he learned the importance of studying music theory and had the privilege to work with jazz greats such as Jon Faddis, Poncho Sanchez, Danilo Perez, Ndugu Chandler, Patrice Rushen, Marvin Stamm and Bill Mays.

After high school, Felix went to college in Miami, Florida, where he studied with the famous trumpet soloist and band leader, Arturo Sandoval. With this opportunity Felix grew as a trumpet player and soloist. During college and the beginning of his professional career Felix had the honor to share the stage with prolific jazz performers Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Chaka Khan, Paquito D'Rivera, Maynard Ferguson, Billy Taylor, David Sanborn and Nestor Torres. Felix DeLeon has been involved in numerous recordings and concerts across the nation and has been nominated for two Grammy’s, winning one. In 2024 he performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. with the Jazz Houston Orchestra. 

Felix is in demand as a trumpeter, pianist, composer, arranger and clinician who also works with different schools as a private instructor. He plays with various groups in Houston, such as the Houston Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Houston Orchestra, Houston Latin Jazz Orchestra, and has established himself as a diverse musician in all genres of music performing with pit orchestras in musicals as well the praise and worship band at Lakewood Church.

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Registration opens at 8 AM on November 1, 2024 at www.TaftRaiderBand.org, All registration payments are due no later than February 1st, 2025. 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 $300.00 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