What a year it has been for Traditions of Jazz!

August 2026

Our first year has been filled with music, collaboration, and some wonderful opportunities to bring traditional jazz to more people throughout Central Wisconsin. We are incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished—and even more excited about what’s ahead.

Over the past year, we’ve had the opportunity to bring two exceptional bands to Great Northern Distilling in Stevens Point, creating memorable experiences for both musicians and audiences. Our first visiting group was Djangophique, an award-winning ensemble whose performances capture the infectious joy at the heart of Django Reinhardt’s jazz manouche tradition. Their visit included an afternoon workshop for area musicians followed by an evening performance at Great Northern Distilling. It was a day overflowing with music, learning, and inspiration. We followed that with a visit from New York-based duo Dennis Lichtman and Jerron Paxton, who brought their remarkable musicianship and deep knowledge of traditional jazz to Stevens Point. Once again, Traditions of Jazz hosted an afternoon workshop for local musicians, followed by an evening performance at Great Northern Distilling—giving our community another opportunity to learn directly from and experience world-class traditional jazz musicians.

A big part of our mission is creating opportunities for area musicians to deepen their understanding and appreciation of traditional jazz—not just by playing the music, but by learning about its history, its legendary musicians, and the rich culture that surrounds it. Throughout the year, local musicians have had opportunities to rehearse and perform with A Joyful Little Band, gaining experience playing traditional jazz in an ensemble setting and becoming part of a growing community of musicians who are excited to learn, play, and keep this music alive. Along with the successful performances at Great Northern Distilling, Traditions of Jazz has also partnered with Rose House in Stevens Point for a monthly Jazz Brunch, and continues our wildly joyful monthly jam session at LittleWolf Gallery in Iola. These local venues have helped us create a welcoming space for musicians and listeners to gather, play, and enjoy traditional jazz together. We are so grateful to Great Northern Distilling, Rose House and LittleWolf Gallery.

This summer, we launched our very first Joyful Little Brass Band Summer Program, bringing together 15 local musicians along with members of A Joyful Little Band in a collaboration with CWACT’s productions of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Together, we filled the summer air around Schmeeckle Reserve with the sounds of New Orleans brass band music—and created an unforgettable experience for our participants and the show’s audience members.

We’re also celebrating a major milestone in our Pianos in Places program. Thanks to the incredible generosity and support of our community, we successfully raised the funds to purchase a beautiful new Yamaha U3 piano. It has a wonderful home at Great Northern Distilling, where we hope it will be enjoyed by musicians and audiences for many years to come.

Our work with young musicians continues as well. We proudly host a weekly Trad Jazz Club at Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH), giving band and choir students an opportunity to learn about, play, and experience traditional jazz in a relaxed and supportive environment.

And through A Joyful Little Band, we continue to take every opportunity we’re given to bring traditional jazz into schools, community spaces, assisted living communities, and events throughout Central Wisconsin.

We believe traditional jazz has a unique way of bringing people together. It invites us to listen, to participate, to learn from one another, and—most importantly—to have fun making music together.

We are so proud of everything our first year has brought, and we are deeply grateful to the musicians, students, venues, audiences, volunteers, donors, and community partners who have helped make it possible.

And we’re just getting started.

We have some exciting projects and goals on the horizon, and we can’t wait to share more music, more opportunities, and more ways to connect with traditional jazz throughout Central Wisconsin.

Meet our Board of Directors

President- John Omernik (center)

Vice president- Jenni Yang (left)

Secretary/Treasurer- Beth Omernik (right)