The Decatur High School Jazz I Band has been selected as one of just five Seattle-area high school jazz bands to perform at the 29th annual Starbucks Hot Java Cool Jazz at the Paramount Theatre at 7 p.m. March 27. Decatur is the first school from the South Sound ever invited to perform at this event.

They will share the stage with the jazz programs at Roosevelt High School, Garfield High School, Mount Si High School, and Edmonds-Woodway High School — schools with long-standing national reputations for excellence in jazz education.

The students will perform for a sold-out audience of nearly 3,000 people at one of Seattle’s most iconic venues.

“We are beyond grateful for the support that has made this possible and cannot wait to represent Federal Way on the Paramount stage,” said director Chris Leslie in a news release.

Any tickets sold by Decatur will benefit the school’s band program. Click here to purchase tickets.

Decatur will also be hosting its annual Big Band Showcase on Feb. 28 at Decatur High School. The event will feature all three jazz bands from Decatur, middle school jazz bands from Lakota and Sequoyah, and will feature a guest band, The Kyle Athayde Dance Party Big Band, based out of San Francisco and New York City. The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted to support the band program at Decatur. To learn more, email Chris Leslie at cleslie@fwps.org.