HAPCO Summer Jazz Band Camp

HAPCO Jazz Fest Ocoee 2027
Friday, March 19

Free general admission.

VIP Early Bird
Discount through June 30
Enhance your night with a curated culinary and wine experience – all in support of HAPCO’s mission.
• Wine & Dine: Savor bold island flavors with Caribbean soul cuisine, infused with African and French influences.
• Concert seating, with wine service throughout the performance.

$60 thru June 30; $75 after

Details / VIP Tickets
https://tinyurl.com/3vs966dy

Join us for an evening of tones like velvet and grooves like fire.
• Gerald Albright
• Preston Rupert Quartet
• Ocoee High School Jazz Band

Presented by HAPCO Music Foundation and the City of Ocoee.

Friday, Mar 19
6-10 pm
Ocoee Lakeshore Center
125 N Lakeshore Dr | Ocoee, FL

Photo of Gerald Albright by Brandon Albright / SnowDesertProductions.com

HAPCO Educator Derrick Harris will be a lead clinician at Osceola County School for the Arts’ Jazz Summer Camp from June 22-26 at Gateway High School. He will instruct high school band students and teach a daily trombone master class.

Congrats to the OCSA Jazz A Band, which recently won first place at the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival in New York City. Under the direction of Jason G.M. Anderson, the band competed against 20 of the top high school jazz bands in the world. The band also won the national title in 2022 and 2023.

As an instructor of Jazz Improvisation and Lower Brass Studies, Derrick Harris’ dedication, passion and ambition is shown towards his students. He helps each pupil get better one note at a time by implementing good practice techniques, embouchure control, and the essentials of the trombone as an instrument. He is the CEO of Eighth Note Productions and a trombonist in the Dr. Phillips Jazz Orchestra. He plays many musical styles including jazz, big band, and ‘50s and ‘60s rock; Caribbean music is a specialty.

Osceola County School for the Arts (OCSA) is founded on the parallel learning and cross-disciplinary values of academic rigor and artistic enterprise. In addition to high-quality, classical training in their chosen arts area, OCSA artists develop an innovative spirit and creative confidence from collaborative inquiry and performance-based learning.

High-energy. Soulful. Electrifying.

Spend an unforgettable evening under the stars at HAPCO Jazz Fest Ocoee, featuring the unmistakable sound of Gerald Albright — blending R&B, funk and melodic jazz into a live performance you feel as much as you hear.

Also performing: Preston Rupert Quartet and the Ocoee High School Jazz Band.

Bring your blanket or lawn chairs and enjoy a night of music, friends and community in the heart of Ocoee.

Free general admission.
VIP Experience available with reserved seating, wine service and a curated culinary offering.

Presented by HAPCO Music Foundation and the City of Ocoee.

Proceeds support HAPCO education programs, helping young people turn their musical, culinary and artistic talents into college and career pathways.

👉 Full details + VIP tickets: https://tinyurl.com/3vs966dy

Improv! 🎷

On March 13, Jeff Rupert will conduct a jazz master class on improvisation for the Evans High School Band, directed by Mario Ford. Jeff is a longtime HAPCO educator, regularly leading our master classes and clinics for student musicians.

Improv is at the heart of jazz. Learning to improvise helps young musicians develop deep listening skills, confidence and the ability to think creatively in the moment – skills that extend far beyond the band room.

Jeff is Trustee Chair, Pegasus Professor, and Director of Jazz Studies at University of Central Florida, where he mentors the next generation of jazz artists.

Together, Central Florida did it! The 2025 Collaborative Campaign for the Arts by United Arts of Central Florida raised over $9 million from donors, surpassing its $6.5 million fundraising goal. With the addition of a campaign matching pool of $750,000 from United Arts and $500,000 from Orange County Government, this amounts to more than $10.33 million in support for 40 arts, science and history organizations.

HAPCO is a proud partner agency of this campaign.

The campaign ran from Dec 1 to Apr 30. 100% of every contribution remains within Central Florida, strengthening artists, creatives and nonprofit organizations across the region to help them thrive.

The profound impact of investments in the arts is clear, with Central Florida receiving more than $500 million in direct economic benefits and sustaining more than 9,400 local jobs, while enriching the lives of more than 600,000 children through expanded arts education experiences.

The annual campaign is organized and operated by United Arts each year and is the largest collaborative fundraising campaign for the arts in Florida and second largest in America.

Instrument donation Chronicles!

Cresbin now has a guitar he can play at home and church. The guitar was built and donated by AdventHealth’s Design and Construction Team.

A student at Evans High School, Cresbin comes from a family with a rich musical history, encouraging all family members to play a musical instrument. He initially did not choose the guitar, as he thought it was too difficult for him to play. But he joined Music Teacher Osvaldo Quezada’s class at Evans, and realized that the guitar and himself were made for each other. He has been playing for two years now. He can now play guitar as part of his church’s outreach group; he did not have a guitar of his own, and the church could not afford to purchase one. We look forward to hearing beautiful music from Cresbin!

Thanks to Osvaldo and Mario Jovian Ford at Evans High School for coordinating this gift, and to AdventHealth’s Design and Construction Team for making it possible!





Music educators have impacted more young lives than any other profession.

I am honored to have the opportunity to honor an incredible music LEGEND – Dr. Julian E. White. At our Swing & Groove Jazz Party during FAMU Homecoming 2024 last month, we presented Dr. White with our first HAPCO Legends award.

He has mentored, inspired and educated so many people over the years, making us all better people.

Music educators have impacted more young people lives than any other profession!

Mickey Smith, Jr. recently spent the day at Hope Charter School in Ocoee, sharing his insights into resilience with his Keep On Going master class. He talked with band students about making the next sounds the best sounds yet and non-band students about making the next steps the best steps. Band Director Shonna Dannels said it was a fantastic day of learning for all the students.



Mickey is a 7x Teacher of the Year and GRAMMY Music Educator Award Recipient. His success stems from his ability to create opportunities amid obstacles. In the sessions he dove into the mental health tools needed to feel more resilient, more significant, less fearful, and ready to leverage change for all it is worth.



In the master class, he took his audiences from a victim to a victor mindset with his 3 step victory method for purpose and perseverance. He shared through a motivational mixture of music and message a powerful “must-do” rather than “should do” and a person’s secret to success and making every day a WINS-DAY!�

Mickey Smith Jr. Master Class: Keep On Going at Hope Charter School, Oct 2024 Mickey Smith, Jr. spent the day at Hope Charter School in Ocoee, Florida, sharing his insights into resilience with his Keep On Going master class. He talked...