ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, El Cerrito High School holds a proud history of musical excellence and award-winning ensembles. The band program at ECHS offers students the opportunity to develop their skills and passion for music through a variety of experiences that include performances, clinics, festivals, and travel opportunities. The program is comprised of three concert bands; the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band as well as three jazz bands; the Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Workshop, and Jazz Lab. In addition to our classes the program also offers several extra-curricular ensemble opportunities that include the Gaucho Band and Jazz Combos.

Throughout its 60-year history, the El Cerrito High School Wind Ensemble has received superior ratings at local and state festivals and been recognized as one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s top high school wind bands. The band has made regular appearances at the California Music Educator’s Association (CMEA) State Band and Orchestra Festival and has performed in venues in cities across the country including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Vancouver. Notable performances include Carnegie Hall in New York City (2015), Chicago’s Symphony Hall (2017), the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (2019), and the 2018 California All-State Music Education Conference (CASMEC) in San Jose where the group was selected as a featured performing ensemble.

Since 1965 the El Cerrito Jazz Ensemble has been recognized among California’s top high school jazz bands and has performed in venues throughout the United States and abroad. The Jazz Ensemble has earned top ratings and first place awards at numerous jazz festivals across the west coast and have been finalists at Monterey’s Next Generation Jazz Festival in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Over the past ten years the group has hosted and performed alongside prominent jazz artists that include Chris Potter, Wycliffe Gordon, Alan Ferber, John Daversa, Donny McCaslin, and Terell Stafford, among others. Notable performances include appearances at the Monterey Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, and the 2014 California All-State Music Education Conference (CASMEC) in Fresno as the conference’s featured jazz group.

For a full history of El Cerrito High School Bands click HERE