Stan State Jazz Festival

• View or download the 2025 Jazz Festival Schedule.
• View or download the 2025 Jazz Festival Program

2026 Guest Artist: Jonathan Finlayson, Trumpet (tentative)

Trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Jonathan Finlayson was born and raised in Oakland, California. After an invaluable mentorship with trumpeter and composer Robert Porter, Jonathan joined Steve Coleman's Five Elements. While recording and touring internationally with The Five Elements, he completed his BFA at The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music in 2005.

As a unique voice in the New York Creative Music Community, Finalyson went on to perform and record in a variety of ensembles led by Muhal Richard Abrams, Henry Threadgill, Craig Harris, Ravi Coltrane, Mary Halvorson, Steve Lehman, Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn among others.

In 2013, Jonathan Finlayson released his first of three critically acclaimed albums with PI Recordings Moment & The Message, Moving Still which he toured internationally and 3 Times Round. After attending the Jazz Composer Orchestra Institute in 2016, his composition If Not For The Moon was selected to be performed by The ACO Orchestra at Miller Theatre.

As a 2021 Artist in Residence at Roulette he premiered new compositions for quartet and quintet. His composition Yet to Be was commissioned by the violin duo String Noise and recorded on their 2021 release Alien Stories. Recent collaborations include Orchestre National de Jazz, ICE, Either/Or Ensemble, Terrance Etc, The Mark Morris Dance Group, Panorchestra and Jamie Baum Septet+.

'24 Guest Adjudicators

Gary Pratt

Guest Adjudicator

Gary Pratt has led a distinguished career as a music educator, performer, conductor, adjudicator and arranger, and as a member of the jazz faculty at California State University, Northridge.
Throughout his career as a professional Jazz Bassist, Mr. Pratt has performed and/or recorded with such legendary jazz artists as Louie Bellson, Lionel Hampton, Snooky Young, Conti Candoli, Pearl Bailey, Bobby Shew, Don Menza, Blue Mitchell, Pete Christlieb, Cat Anderson, Bob Florence, Kim Richmond, Billy Mintz, Gary Fukushima, Mary Bond Davis, Sandra Booker, Cathy Segal-Garcia, Brian Swartz, Matt Otto, Clay Jenkins, Rob Lockart, and many others.
During his tenure as a member of the music faculty at California State University, Northridge, he served as chairman of the CSU Northridge Wind Area, Director of Orchestras, and Director of Jazz Studies.  His guest conducting engagements have included performances in both Europe and Japan, and his noted versatility as a music educator has made him a highly sought after clinician and guest conductor of jazz ensembles, orchestras and concert bands.
His other activities have included memberships in the Los Angeles City Youth Orchestra Council, The Anderson Foundation’s Wilde Woode Children’s Center Music Program, The CSU Northridge Youth Orchestra Academy Board of Directors, The Southern California Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA), The California Music Educators Association (CMEA), and The California Band Directors Association (CBDA - where he served as guest conductor of the 1990 All-State Concert Band). In 1994, he was selected as a conducting finalist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, and has also guest conducted the Los Angeles Bureau of Music “POPS” Symphony Orchestra, The Ventura Symphony and The Los Angeles South East Symphony Orchestras. In addition to his many judging activities, he served as an adjudicator for The Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards and The NARAS Foundation Grammy Signature Schools.
Mr. Pratt is a past board member of the Jungendkulturzentrum Scheune, “Pink Pop” International Jazz Exchange Program, located in Ibbenburen, Germany - a program designed to “...bridge the communication gap through the exploration and study of jazz.”, and has been awarded the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Jazz Educator Award (2015), and is a recent inductee into the California Alliance for Jazz (CAJ) Hall of Fame (2018).

M. J. Wamhoff

Guest Adjudicator

M. J. Wamhoff is the Director of Bands at Delta College. Prior to his tenure at Delta College Mr. Wamhoff was the director of Bands and Vocal Jazz at Santa Rosa Junior College, Director of Bands and Orchestra at Clovis West High School and Madera High School. Bands and Choirs under his direction have performed at the Next Generation Jazz Festival, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Monterey Jazz Festival at Sea, CMEA State Convention (1993, 1999, 2001), CBDA State Conference (1999, 2001), CASMEC State Conference (2022), and the National Concert Band Festival in Chicago, Illinois and Indianapolis Indiana (1996, 1998). His honors include the Madera County Arts Council Education Award (1993), UMI-ASBDA State and Regional Distinguished Band Director Award (1997), National Band Association Citation of Excellence (1996, 1998, 2000), CBDA Distinguished Service Award (2002) and member of the National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi.
Mr. Wamhoff holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education (1984) and a Master of Arts degree in Music Performance with distinction (1997) from California State University, Fresno. He has studied conducting from Dr. Lawrence Sutherland (CSU, Fresno), Dr. Robert Halseth (CSU, Sacramento), Eugene Corporon (UNT), Frederick Fennell, Jack Stamp and Michael Haithcock (University of Michigan).
Mr. Wamhoff has served on the boards of the California Band Directors Association as President, Past President, Convention Host, Exhibit Host, Bulletin Editor, and CMEA as Honor Band Host, CMEA Central Section as Second Vice President, FMCMEA as both Vice President and President. His professional associations include: California Band Directors Association (CBDA), California Music Educators Association (CMEA), and the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA),
Mr. Wamhoff is active as a clinician for Concert, Jazz, and Marching Bands. He is also active as a guest conductor in the Symphonic and Jazz idioms. Mr. Wamhoff has served as conductor of the California All-State High School Concert Band, California All-State Middle School Symphonic Band (2024), Singapore Festival Winds, San Joaquin County High School Honor Band, CMEA Capitol Section High School Honor Band, CMEA Central Coast Section Honor Band and the County Honor Bands from: Sonoma, Stanislaus, Solano, Tulare-Kings, Fresno-Madera Tracy Honor Band, and the Bakersfield City Schools Honor Band. M.J Wamhoff is also a composer/arranger and has published works with GPG Publications and Galaxy Music Corporation, Inc., a division of ECS Publishing Group. www.ecspublishing.com.

Joe Mazzaferro

Guest Adjudicator

Joe Mazzaferro is the Associate Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Professor of Practice in Jazz at the University of the Pacific. Prior to joining the Conservatory of Music faculty, Mazzaferro served as the Coordinator of Jazz Studies at California State University, Stanislaus and held teaching positions at Sacramento State and San Joaquin-Delta College. His formal studies include a Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education from the University of the Pacific and a Master’s of Music in Jazz and Studio Music from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the jazz program.  
As a Trumpeter, Educator, and Composer, Mazzaferro is active in the Northern California jazz scene and in demand as a guest artist and clinician across the United States. In November 2017, Mazzaferro released his debut album In Terms Of... (Joe Mazz Music) which features saxophonist Jeff Clayton along with special guests, drummer Carl Allen and pianist Donald Brown. The album peaked at #43 on the JazzWeek Charts and received high praise from jazz critics. The album has been described as “vintage hard bop with maturity” (George Harris, Jazz Weekly) as well “a little bebop, a little swing, and a lot of tenderness, heart, and passion come together on this intriguing debut” (Tom Henry, Toledo Blade). His forthcoming album Only Time Will Tell (due out Spring 2022) will feature vibraphonist Warren Wolf, drummer Carl Allen, bassist Rodney Whitaker, and saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown.
Mazzaferro has gained critical acclaim as a composer and has arranged compositions for big band for including SF Jazz Collective Pianist Edward Simon, drummer Carl Allen, trumpeter Terell Stafford, vocalist Jazzmeia Horn. In 2019, he contributed arrangements to the Smoke Session Record’s release Bird at 100, commemorating the centennial birth of Charlie Parker and featuring alto saxophonists Vincent Herring, Bobby Watson, and Gary Bartz. His July 2020 Big Band release Talk About It! Live @ The CLARA (July 2020) features arrangements and compositions exclusively by Mazzaferro himself.
As an active freelance performer and collaborator, Joe has had the opportunity to perform with many jazz greats, including Dave Brubeck, Christian McBride, Stefon Harris, Eddie Gomez, Donny McCaslin, Donald Brown, Wycliffe Gordon, Jeff Clayton, Ingrid Jensen, Lewis Nash, Montez Coleman, and Jim Snidero. In recent performance opportunities, Joe has had the privilege of performing the Miles Davis masterpiece Birth of the Cool with Gunther Schuller at the 2013 Brubeck Festival and was a part of the series “Remembering James Williams & Mulgrew Miller” with pianist Donald Brown’s Quartet at the 58th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival. Joe also performs regularly at Take 5 Jazz Club in Stockton, is the Musical Director and Co-Founder of the Sacramento Jazz Orchestra, and a member of the Capital Jazz Project.

Dr. Andrew Watkins-Alcocer, DMA

Guest Adjudicator

Andrew Watkins-Alcocer, DMA, is a trombonist and educator with a rich history in both performance and composition. Raised in Fresno, California, his passion for music was nurtured from a young age, leading to him pursuing an undergraduate degree at California State University, Fresno, followed by a master’s and doctorate at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. As a performer, Alcocer was named “Outstanding College Trombonist” by the Reno Jazz Festival in both 2017 and 2018 and was a part of the “Outstanding Trombone Section” of the inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championships at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2020. As a composer, Alcocer earned the Global Music Award’s silver medal for his piece “Soliloquy,” as well as their bronze medal for his arrangement of “Storm,” and was recently selected to take part in masterclasses for the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers. Upon graduating from Eastman with his master’s, he was also awarded the “Ray Wright Award,” named after the founder of the school’s jazz department. In addition to his individual accomplishments, Alcocer has performed with various notable ensembles, including the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Dave Rivello Ensemble, Rochester Innovation Jazz Orchestra, BIOdance, the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, Rumba 32, and the Yosemite Symphony Orchestra. As a composer his work can be heard internationally by various ensembles, artists, and on radio stations in countries such as Italy, Germany, Australia, and China.
Alcocer currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music at both Clovis Community College and Reedley College and has held positions with the University of Rochester as an Instructor of Music Theory, and as the Director of the Eastman Jazz Workshop Ensemble. His responsibilities encompass teaching, mentorship, and providing engaging learning experiences for his students.

Barb Shinaver

Coordinator of Jazz Studies, California State University, Stanislaus

Barb Shinaver is a trombonist native to the Fresno area, and an active educator-artist throughout California’s Central Valley. She is the new Coordinator of Jazz Studies at California State University, Stanislaus in Turlock; and is in her 6th year serving as Director of the San Joaquin Valley Jazz Festival. Barb also teaches trombone privately in the Fresno area, and various applied lessons at Fresno City College.
For five years prior, she was the Director of Jazz Bands at the Buchanan Educational Center in Clovis, and two years previously was the Assistant Band Director at Bullard High School in Fresno. Throughout her time in each district she also taught elementary band, serving students from 5th through 12th grade, concurrently.
Barb holds a B.A. in Music Education from Fresno State and an M.M. in Trombone Performance from the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. She is passionate about service to the profession and the state, and coordinates logistics for the California All-State Music Educator’s Conference. She is excited to continue pursuing her career in both classical and jazz performance while maintaining an active teaching schedule.

2025 Stanislaus County Music Educators Association High School Honor Jazz Band personnel:

Saxes

• Alto 1 - Aurora Martinez 
• Alto 2 - Destyni Reyes 
• Tenor 1 - Owen Barraza  
• Tenor 2 - Jonas  Hensley 
• Bari - Kasey Bunning 

Trumpets

• Trumpet 1 - Amalia Silva 
• Trumpet 2 - Bryon Johnson
•  Trumpet 3 - Steven Ibanez 
• Trumpet 4 - Oscar Villanueva 
•  Trumpet 5  - Aariel Martinez  

Trombones

• Trombone 1 - Andes Franco 
• Trombone 2 - Joshua Garcia-Hernandez 
• Trombone 3 - Lucas Barnard 
• Bass Trombone - Kane Lapachet

Rhythm Section

• Piano - Andres  Lopez-Guzman
• Drums - Joseph  Edwards
• Bass  - Sam Lake 
• Guitar - Roberto Aguilar 
• Vibes  - Kaylee Nguyen 

2025 Registration is closed. 2026 TBA.

Registration will be completely online this year.
Fee is TBA per band.

Rosters

Rosters are due before the event.
Last-minute drops are less important than any last-minute additions to the roster since we need a ROL for everyone prior to their participation in the festival.

Release of Liability

All participants must sign the Release of Liability form before the event on (TBA).

More Information

Contact the Jazz Director, Barb Shinaver bshinaver@csustan.edu