History of the Festival

In spring of 1969, Lee Eliot Berk founded the first annual New England High School Stage Band Festival. A Berklee planning team worked with the Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators (NAJE) organized by Berk and John LaPorta.

Above: Berklee faculty applaud a band at the first New England High School Stage Band Festival.

The first festival attracted 21 bands from New England and New York. In recent year's the festival has grown attracting close to 200 ensembles including small jazz and vocal ensembles. During the festival's years of greatest growth, from 1971 to 1992, Norman Silver, current Director of Telecommunications, served as festival director.

Above: Berklee representatives on the left side of the table above are (standing, from left to right): Gerald Simmons, Andy McGhee, Joe Viola and Jack Weaver, and (seated, from left to right) Ted Pease, Lee Eliot Berk, Phil Wilson, and John LaPorta

Over the years literally thousands of talented high school students have participated in the festival, benefiting from the performance evaluations, clinics and workshops, teaching demonstrations, and prize and scholarship award opportunities.

Above: The program for the first annual New England High School Stage Band Festival.