The West Virginia Wesleyan College Department of Music will host the 2026 WVWC Jazz Festival from April 10 through April 12, bringing together jazz students from north central West Virginia for a weekend of music-making, collaboration and performance, according to a press release from West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Adam Loudin ’07, director of the jazz program at WVWC, will serve as clinician for the festival.
“We are thrilled to bring high school students together on campus to learn and be inspired by this music,” Loudin said. “At WVWC, we have a long history of students who are dedicated to learning to play jazz, and it is a great joy to bring high school students to campus to be surrounded by current students and alumni who have been a part of the culture that has existed here for many decades.”
On Saturday, April 11 at 7 p.m. in the WVWC Dining Hall, the WVWC Alumni All-Star Big Band will perform. The group features musicians from multiple generations of WVWC students and alumni, highlighting the lasting tradition of jazz at the college.
On Sunday, April 12 at 7 p.m. in the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts, the current WVWC Jazz Ensemble and the 2026 WVWC High School Honor Band will take the stage.
The performances are free and open to the public.
The festival highlights student achievement and provides opportunities for young musicians to learn from collegiate performers, alumni and one another in a dynamic jazz setting.
