Senior selected to perform in District Jazz Band Festival

Senior Hope Canfield was selected to perform int he 2025 PMEA District Jazz Festival.

Hope Canfield, a senior, was recently selected to represent Meyersdale Area High School at the 2025 PMEA District 6 Jazz Festival, held January 16 and 17.

This year’s event was hosted by the Forest Hills School District. The following PMEA District 6 schools participated in the festival: Altoona Area High School, Bedford, Bishop Guilfoyle, Bishop McCort, Cambria Heights, Central Cambria, Central-Spring Cove, Chestnut Ridge, Conemaugh Township, Everett, Forest Hills, Greater Johnstown, Hollidaysburg, Meyersdale, North Star, Northern Cambria, Portage, Richland, Shanksville-Stonycreek, Somerset, Tyrone and Westmont Hilltop.

The festival is composed of four musical ensembles: two jazz bands (Yellow and Red), an a capella choir and a modern band.

Canfield, who plays the tenor saxophone, was selected to perform in the Yellow District Jazz. The Yellow Band was led by guest conductor Daniel Hutton. Hutton is a teacher and woodwind artist in the Greater Johnstown/Pittsburgh area. He is an active performer with the groups Smooth Sound and Wanderlost, performs for local musical theater productions, and tours with Ted Vigil, who is a nationally recognized John Denver tribute artist. Hutton received bachelor’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree from California State University, Long Beach. Currently, he works at Westmont Hilltop School District, where he teaches general music, band, and orchestra to students in grades kindergarten through 6th, and at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, where he directs their collegiate jazz ensemble.

Following two days of intensive rehearsals, Hope and members of all four ensembles presented a concert to the public during the evening of January 17. Members of the Yellow Jazz Band performed the following pieces of music: “All Blues,” by Miles Davis, arranged by Mike Tomaro; “How High the Moon,” by Nancy Hamilto and Morgan Lewis, arranged by Dave Wolpe; “My Funny Valentine,” by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, arranged by Dave Wolpe; and “Perdido,” by Juan Tizol, arranged by Victor Lopez.

The process in which to be considered for this honor requires dedication and a great deal of preparation.

“The competition to successfully obtain a seat at the District 6 Jazz festival is incredibly steep and it’s a true honor for Hope to have successfully completed that audition process. Her flexibility in playing the alto, tenor and baritone saxophones has really proven to set her apart and gives her a lot of wonderful opportunities as a young musician representing our school district,” Katie Howard, MASD director of bands, explained. “District Jazz is a non-advancing festival, meaning students do not advance to a region level festival, but her time at the festival last week was filled with great opportunities for her to improve her jazz playing and she was featured in multiple solos at the concert Friday evening where the audience was impressed with her improvisation capabilities.”

Hope said while the audition process is difficult and challenging, the experience is something she will never forget and will always treasure. “The selection process for District Jazz includes an extremely hard audition that involves a solo song and a 16 bar improv solo over a Bb Blues Track. I have auditioned for District Jazz in previous years and this year was the hardest it has ever been on Tenor Sax,” Hope explained. “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to play alongside so many incredibly talented musicians that love to play just as much as I do. Although I am sad this was my last year, I encourage others to audition for District events despite their skill level because I would not have become the musician I am today without those incredible experiences. I am very lucky to have such a wonderful band director that continuously pushes me towards my limits and encourages me to expand my skill set, consequently making me a better musician.”

Hope is the daughter of Joe Canfield, Myah Willis and Amanda Canfield. Following graduation, Hope plans to further her education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she will pursue music composition and music performance.