One of Canada's largest youth music festivals takes place in Surrey this week.

Surrey School District's Envision Jazz Festival, now in its 31st year, sounds off from Thursday to Saturday (Feb. 7 to 9) at Bell Performing Arts Centre and Sullivan Heights Secondary.

The festival combines free daytime concerts by 2,500 secondary school student musicians with ticketed evening performances by jazz professionals - Jesse Cahill's Nightcrawlers on Thursday, JUMP on Friday and Brad Turner and The A Band on Saturday.

Eighty of the top high school jazz bands from the Pacific Northwest are in Surrey for the festival.

"The Envision Jazz Festival highlights the talent, teamwork and tremendous dedication of student musicians and their teachers who together create that special energy known as jazz," said Mike McKay, school district superintendent.

"Professional musicians and community partners dedicate themselves year after year to making the festival both an unparalleled learning opportunity and one of Surrey's foremost jazz musical events."

This year, donation cards to financially assist the school district's meal program will be circulated at the festival's evening concerts. The program feeds 3,450 students at 44 schools each day.

Tickets for the evening performances are $15 for adults and $10 for students, via 604-507-6355 or online at bellperformingartscentre. com.

Twitter @tomzillich