Atchison Jazz Express concert to fund scholarships for music students

Atchison Jazz Express will turn its spring scholarship concert into a direct investment in the next generation of local musicians when the group performs Sunday, April 26, at 3 p.m. The free-will donation event will feature jazz and swing classics, and every dollar raised is set to support scholarships for graduating seniors in the Atchison area who plan to continue their music education after high school.

The concert also will bring a recognizable guest voice to the stage. Local listings say Daysia Reneau, a former contestant on NBC’s The Voice, will appear as special guest vocalist, adding another draw to an afternoon built around jazz standards and swing numbers. The event is designed to be both a performance and a fundraising mechanism, with attendance directly tied to scholarship support for students pursuing music at the college or university level.

Venue details have appeared in more than one place across local calendars. Some listings place the concert at Theatre Atchison, including Trinity Lutheran Church’s announcement naming Theatre Atchison at 401 Santa Fe St. Another organizer listing for Atchison Jazz Express names Atchison Middle School. The purpose remains the same across the postings: a community concert whose proceeds go back into student scholarships.

Atchison Jazz Express describes itself as a group of professional and accomplished amateur musicians from the Atchison area, and the organization says its goal is to encourage young musicians with scholarships and support for local school music programs. Earlier scholarship materials described recipients as high school graduates from Atchison and the surrounding area who enroll full time in a two-year or longer program. Another school scholarship listing described a $300 award meant to encourage continued instrumental music involvement in college and beyond, while a 2021 Karen Soyland Memorial Scholarship document set the award at $500.

Karen Soyland’s name remains central to the group’s scholarship history. She was described as a founding member of Atchison Jazz Express, and her obituary said she played saxophone in community bands in Topeka and Atchison. In past years, the scholarship concert has also served as a memorial event in her honor, linking the group’s performance tradition to the students it helps send forward.