Monterey Jazz Regional All-Star Band

Folktale Winery & Vineyards is an Official Partner of the Monterey Jazz Regional All-Star Program

As part of our ongoing support for music education in schools, Monterey Jazz is excited to announce our remarkable 2025 Regional All-Star Band. In the 2025 school year, students will have the benefit of working with some of the county’s best jazz educators. In addition, All-Star Band students who satisfy a set of requirements established by MJF Education department will receive a Certificate of Excellence in Professional Musicianship.

Each all-star ensemble, featuring talented students from across Monterey County, rehearses twice monthly while working on ensemble skills including phrasing, blending, improvisation, and rhythmic feel. The bands perform across Monterey County and far beyond, testing their chops on the bandstand while bringing great jazz music to the community. The venues that have featured the Regional All-Star ensembles in the past include the Kennedy Center, the National Archives, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle, San Jose Jazz Fest, Jazz on Plazz in Los Gatos, Forest Theater in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Monterey Jazz Festival.

2026 Monterey Jazz Regional All-Star Band
Directed by Stu Reynolds

Woodwinds
JoAnna Lee, flute; Bryce Kanter, 1st alto saxophone; Allegra Wood, 2nd alto saxophone; Conor O’Brien, 1st tenor saxophone; Xavier Morales-Gregory, 2nd tenor saxophone; Emiliano Ramirez Montejano, baritone saxophone

Trombones
Kai Bishop, 1st trombone; Isaac Lee, 2nd trombone; Sam Klevan, 3rd trombone; Mariella Norris, 4th trombone; Santiago Mendez, 5th trombone

Trumpets
Andrew Atanous, 1st trumpet; Cliff Bunden, 2nd trumpet; Joshua Lopez, 3rd trumpet; Zachary Gardner, 4th trumpet

Rhythm
Kai Kraus, Anton MacLachlan, piano; Ayden Kanter, guitar; Zoya Bograd, Owen Duran, bass; Angel Perez, Radler Pinkerton, drums