The Rivers School Jazz Festival: Celebrating Music and Community

An all-day affair for the Rivers and RSC jazz ensembles, the Jazz Festival has long been an opportunity to share, play, and experience jazz at all levels. Over 60 students performed throughout the day, the largest number of participants ever for this event. Every jazz student at Rivers, which includes the Rivers School Conservatory community, had an offering to share, filling Kraft Dining Hall with the sounds of Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus, and other jazz composers.

A highlight of the evening was the premiere of Salles’ brand-new composition, “Duality,” written for The Rivers School Big Band, choir, and orchestra. The piece was inspired by a poem by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu that highlights opposites: beauty and ugliness; sadness and joy. Rivers' ensembles had their first rehearsal of the piece earlier in the fall, pulling together musicians from three divisions—the chorus, jazz band, and orchestra—and offering a rare opportunity for these three groups to collaborate. The piece also featured student soloists Ben Schouten ’26, trombone, and Charlie Tandon ’28, piano. The performance was warmly received, earning a standing ovation from the audience.

“The performance really worked between the three tracks,” said Philippe Crettien, director of the Rivers jazz programs. “It was a real testament to Felipe, who wrote to the level of the students.”

Javier Caballero, in his first year as executive director of performing arts at Rivers, reflected, “An event like this reminds me of why I do what I do as an arts leader. You can see the progression from students who are just starting out, to students going off to college, and culminating with a professional band. It captures the whole spectrum of jazz excellence, and it's all here at Rivers. That breadth is hard to find somewhere that is not a college, but here you have Middle School and Upper School students performing at that level at their home institution.”

Choral director Krissy Skare, who is also new to Rivers, led the choirs in preparation for the performance of “Duality” and in the fall choral concert the week leading up to the festival. “One of the best parts of the festival is bringing in a professional band, because it shows the students the next level of excellence–it gives them something to aspire to,” said Skare.

Crettien called the event “a total success.”

“Some pieces were very challenging for them, especially the freshman, but they did it under pressure,” he said. “That means the coaching is excellent, and everyone works really well collegially.”

It’s a testament to the strong, supportive environment that is cultivated across the entire Rivers community, said Crettien. “That to me, is a huge success—it means we are creating an environment where kids are taking chances, the right environment for them to succeed.”

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