The Steve Kovalcheck Trio featuring Jeff Hamilton and Jon Hamar, and the Anat Cohen Tentet, will be among the featured artists at the 59th Annual Elmhurst University Jazz Festival, one of the oldest and best-known collegiate festivals in the country, Feb. 26-March 1.

The lineup of acclaimed artists also includes saxophonist and composer Denis DiBlasio and three-time Grammy Award-winning drummer Ulysses S. Owens Jr., who both will perform with the Elmhurst University Jazz Band and serve as adjudicators at the festival.

Now in its 59th year, the Elmhurst University Jazz Festival welcomes top college and university jazz bands from across the country to participate in performances, master classes and more. The bands take turns performing for some of the greatest names in professional jazz, who offer critiques and honors, and then give performances of their own, according to a news release from Elmhurst University.

The Jazz Festival kicks off Thursday, Feb. 26, with the High School Invitational, which will feature high school jazz ensembles from around the Chicago area, as well as from Michigan and Indiana.

College and university band performances begin in the afternoon Friday, Feb. 27. That evening’s feature performance will be given by the Steve Kovalcheck Trio featuring Jeff Hamilton and Jon Hamar. Guitarist and composer Steve Kovalcheck brings a warm, blues-inflected tone and strong rhythmic feel to modern jazz. His upcoming album, “Buckshot Blues,” unites him with bassist Hamar and master drummer Hamilton.

On Saturday, Feb. 28, a clinic and master class with DiBlasio and Owens begins another day of college performances. The evening concert features the Anat Cohen Tentet, a 10-piece group that clarinetist-saxophonist Anat Cohen has showcased at such venues as Carnegie Hall and SFJAZZ’s Miner Auditorium.

On the final day of the festival, the program features more college and university performances, and concludes that afternoon with a performance by the Elmhurst University Jazz Band.

All sessions and featured performances will take place in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst, both in person and via livestream. All performances are open to the public.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit elmhurst.edu/JazzFestival.