Under the direction of conductor Doug Beach, the Elmhurst College Jazz Band has earned worldwide acclaim as an outstanding ensemble. The band has performed in many countries outside of America. It has twice toured Europe at the invitation of the U.S. State Department and has appeared at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Umbria Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and others. In 1997, the band was the only college jazz ensemble invited to perform at the Jak Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia. Closer to home, the Jazz Band has performed at festivals across the United States, receiving outstanding ratings from jazz greats such as Clark Terry, Lee Konitz, Rob McConnell, Nicholas Payton, Randy Brecker, and Bob Brookmeyer. In 2014, the DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards named the Elmhurst College Jazz Band the Undergraduate College winner in the large jazz ensemble category.
