South Whidbey High School’s jazz ensemble and their performance at the coveted Next Generation Jazz Festival in Monterey, Calif. will be streamed online for viewers back home. The ensemble will take the stage at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 9 and can be watched online at https://sites.google.com/site/ampmediacenter/.

South Whidbey is one of 13 schools competing in the Big Band Division. They will be the first band to perform in front of a panel of adjudicators, who will judge bands on their performances. It’s the band’s first selection to the festival since 2009.

The festival, held April 8-10, receives over 130 applications from bands every year. In order to be considered, bands must have a proven track record of success at the regional level. The ensemble submitted recordings of three Duke Ellington songs including “Magnolia’s Dripping with Molasses” which proved worthy of the festival.