Hempfield High School senior Jonah Gelbart was selected to perform in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) all-state jazz band at its upcoming conference and festival. Gelbart is one of five trumpet players from across the state who qualified and will perform in a PMEA concert at Pocono Mountain West High School, 181 Panther Lane, Pocono Summit, on Friday, April 21.

Gelbart submitted a video audition for the ensemble in January and received his results the following month. Soon after, he received the music for the show and began to learn the material. Prior to the concert, he will travel to Kalahari Resorts and Conventions in the Poconos to meet the rest of the ensemble and practice for the performance. "I'm excited to meet other musicians from across the state," Gelbart said. "It's a great opportunity to meet some really talented people."

Gelbart joined the jazz band at Hempfield High School during his freshman year, and he has been playing the trumpet since he was in fourth grade. He noted that one of his favorite aspects of the trumpet is its versatility; the trumpet can be found in classical, orchestral and jazz compositions. Although Gelbart also plays the piano, he added that playing the trumpet presents unique challenges. "It has very severe limitations compared to the piano or even the saxophone," said Gelbart. "Older instruments like trumpet have technical limitations that you have to work through. It has a unique character to it, and you have a lot of pride after overcoming those obstacles."

In addition to the PMEA concert in the Poconos, Gelbart also auditioned for the district jazz festival and will perform at Boiling Springs High School on Saturday, April 1. He said that he is always looking for an opportunity to perform, either on his own or as a part of a larger ensemble. As a member of Hempfield's jazz band, Gelbart has been able to hone his skills by playing with other jazz bands and receiving feedback from judges at competitions. "We have such a good music program. Receiving judge commentary and competing with other bands is something that bands at other levels don't do," Gelbart said.

Gelbart initially picked up the trumpet due to his school band's not having enough trumpet players and he began listening to jazz music as homework. Since then, jazz has become his favorite genre of music to listen to in his free time. Gelbart's favorite artist at the moment is Peter Evans, an avant-garde trumpet player.

After graduating from high school, Gelbart plans to attend West Chester University. Although he does not plan to study music in college, he said that he hopes to continue performing in other jazz groups during his college career.