Jazz at Lincoln Center proudly announces the top high school jazz bands in the nation that took the highest honors tonight at the prestigious 21st Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
The first place winner is New World School of the Arts from Miami FL, second place winner is Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble from Raleigh, NC and third place winner is Tucson Jazz Ensemble from Tucson, AZ.
Beginning on May 5, the top 15 high school jazz bands in the country participated in the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival and were immersed in three days of mentoring, jam sessions, and workshops. The competition culminated in tonight’s concert wherein each top-placing band performed with their choice Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member. The final concert also featured the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis – whose members served as mentors for the finalist bands throughout the week – performing repertoire made famous by Duke Ellington.
Each finalist band was chosen by a panel of judges comprised of distinguished jazz musicians and historians: Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis; composer, arranger, and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra trombonist Chris Crenshaw; acclaimed saxophonist and jazz educator Lauren Sevian; big band leader, drummer and Grammy-nominated recording artist Jeff Hamilton; and composer, arranger, and bassist Chuck Israels.
At the ceremony, Wynton Marsalis presented awards to each of the 15 finalist high school jazz bands. New World School of the Arts accepted the first place trophy and an award of $5,000. Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble accepted the second place trophy and an award of $2,500. Tucson Jazz Institute accepted the third place trophy with an award of $1,000. The remaining twelve bands were each awarded cash awards of $500. All monetary awards are to be used for improving the jazz education programs of each respective high school.
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 21st Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival Awards
First Place
New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL
Second Place
Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble, Raleigh, NC
Third Place
Tucson Jazz Institute, Tucson, AZ
HONORABLE MENTION, RHYTHM SECTION:
FOXBORO HIGH SCHOOL
LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
OUTSTANDING RHYTHM SECTION:
MOUNT SI HIGH SCHOOL
NEW WORLD SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
BYRON CENTER HIGH SCHOOL
TRIANGLE YOUTH JAZZ ENSEMBLE
JAZZ HOUSE KIDS
OUTSTANDING SAXOPHONE SECTION:
BELOIT MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL
ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL
MOUNT SI HIGH SCHOOL
NEW WORLD SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
BEST OVERALL SAXOPHONE SECTION:
JAZZ HOUSE KIDS
OUTSTANDING TROMBONE SECTION:
NEW WORLD SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
TUCSON JAZZ INSTITUTE
BYRON CENTER HIGH SCHOOL
TRIANGLE YOUTH JAZZ ENSEMBLE
HONORABLE MENTION TRUMPET SECTION:
BYRON CENTER HIGH SCHOOL
OUTSTANDING CREATIVITY, TRUMPET SECTION:
BYRON CENTER HIGH SCHOOL
OUTSTANDING TRUMPET SECTION:
NEW WORLD SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL
HONORABLE MENTION PEP SECTION:
CRESCENT SUPER BAND
INDIVIDUAL OUTSTANDING
AND HONORABLE MENTION SOLOISTS:
HONORABLE MENTION PIANO:
NICHOLAS LUTENKO (GARFIELD
ESTEBAN CASTRO (JAZZ HOUSE KIDS)
MATTHEW WHITAKER (JAZZ HOUSE KIDS)
OUTSTANDING PIANO:
ROBERTO ACOSTA (NEW WORLD)
SEAN KIM (LEXINGTON)
MAX CANNELLA (MOUNT SI)
ALAN GURLASKIE (UNIVERSITY HIGH)
OUTSTANDING BASS:
JONATHAN HENRIKSEN (MOUNT SI)
PHILIP NORRIS (TRIANGLE YOUTH)
OUTSTANDING WALKING BASS:
KEBRA SEYOUN-CHARLES (NEW WORLD)
CHUCK ISRAELS 4/4 AWARD:
DYLAN HOLLY (TUCSON)
HONORABLE MENTION, GUITAR:
WES WHITELOCK (JAZZ HOUSE KIDS)
OUTSTANDING GUITAR:
RAVI SHARMA (ROOSEVELT)
ERIK OLSON (TUCSON)
OUTSTANDING RHYTHM GUITAR:
ARI ALFARO (BELOIT)
HONORABLE MENTION, BANJO:
ROBERT ROCKMAN (SUN PRAIRIE)
OUTSTANDING DRUMS:
WILL CRANDELL (MOUNT SI)
VICTOR VALDES (NEW WORLD)
NATHAN HOOKER (TUCSON)
JEFF HAMILTON OUTSTANDING DRUMMER AWARD:
NICHOLAS CHARD (BYRON CENTER)
HONORABLE MENTION, CLARINET:
STEPHANIE BUECHE (BYRON CENTER)
OUTSTANDING CLARINET:
MADDIE PATCH (BELOIT)
JESSE BECKETT-HERBERT (ROOSEVELT)
ALVIN PAIG (SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS)
TYLER GOODMAN (NEW WORLD)
DANIEL LEONG (GARFIELD)
JESSICA CHAN (FOXBORO)
OUTSTANDING BASS CLARINET:
SANTOSH SHARMA (ROOSEVELT)
HONORABLE MENTION, ALTO:
JARIEN JAMANILA (SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS)
FEDOR PARETSKY (GARFIELD)
TUCKER DANIEL (TRIANGLE YOUTH)
ALEX LAURENZI (JAZZ HOUSE KIDS)
NATHAN FARRELL (JAZZ HOUSE KIDS)
OUTSTANDING ALTO:
BREANNA DENURE (BELOIT)
HERSH GUPTA (LEXINGTON)
HAYDEN KAJERCLINE (MOUNT SI)
GARY GURLASKIE (UNIVERSITY)
ALEX CAMARILLO (TUCSON)
SIMEON ROTH (TUCSON)
SEBASTIAN ROMAN (SUN PRAIRIE)
OUTSTANDING SOPRANO SAXOPHONE:
SIMEON ROTH (TUCSON)
SEBASTIAN ROMAN (SUN PRAIRIE)
TIM MURPHY (JAZZ HOUSE KIDS)
HONORABLE MENTION, TENOR SAXOPHONE:
NIALL GILLEN (BELOIT)
SANTOSH SHARMA (ROOSEVELT)
OUTSTANDING TENOR SAXOPHONE:
BRYSON VANDERWELL (CRESCENT SUPER BAND)
ELLIOT HALPERN (ROOSEVELT)
BEN STOWERS (TUCSON)
ABDIAS ARMENTEROS (NEW WORLD)
GRIFFIN ROSS (TRIANGLE YOUTH)
HONORABLE MENTION, BARITONE SAXOPHONE:
SPENCER WALGREN (CRESCENT SUPER BAND)
KEVIN CHOI (TUCSON)
KAYLA NELSON (SUN PRAIRIE)
OUTSTANDING BARITONE SAXOPHONE:
LAUREN ELLIOTT (BYRON CENTER)
HONORABLE MENTION, TROMBONE:
ISSAC POOLE (GARFIELD)
OUTSTANDING TROMBONE:
PORTER JONES (ROOSEVELT)
JARED BATHEN (TUCSON)
TOMMY WATSON (FOXBORO)
REID CHRISTMANN (JAZZ HOUSE KIDS)
HONORABLE MENTION, TRUMPET:
DAVID DEKENS (BYRON CENTER)
AUSTIN MUTHYALA (BYRON CENTER)
ANDREW TWIFORD (BYRON CENTER)
THOMAS RENEHAN (GARFIELD)
OUTSTANDING TRUMPET:
TYLER WEBB (CRESCENT SUPER BAND)
FRANK MCKEARN (BELOIT)
CAMERAHN ALFORQUE (SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS)
MIRANDA AGNEW (TUCSON)
SYDNEY CHALLONER (SUN PRAIRIE)
HONORABLE MENTION, VOCALS:
EMMA CHRISTIE-FOSTER (SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS)
JAZMINE VILLALINO (SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS)
SAGE EISENHOUR (MOUNT SI)
EMMA LANFORD (TRIANGLE YOUTH)
OUTSTANDING VOCALS:
ISABEL JOHNSON (CRESCENT SUPER BAND)
JASMINE MOODY (NEW WORLD)
CLAUDIA NKETIA (JAZZ HOUSE KIDS)
MOST ORIGINAL & CONSISTENTLY ORIGINAL DIRECTING STYLE:
JIM GASIOR (NEW WORLD)
The Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Soloist Award
made possible by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation:
PHILIP NORRIS (TRIANGLE YOUTH)
PORTER JONES (ROOSEVELT)
In the spirit of creativity and continuing the jazz legacy, Jazz at Lincoln Center also recognized the winner of the 4th Annual J. Douglas White Essentially Ellington Student Composition/Arranging Contest, Joseph Block of Germantown Friends School (Philadelphia, PA). Each submission was critiqued by composer, arranger, and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra saxophonist, Ted Nash, and the winning selection was recorded by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at their annual Essentially Ellington recording session on Wednesday, May 4. In addition, the winning composer received a cash prize, a composition lesson with Ted Nash, and a trip to New York City to observe the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra recording session and the 2016 Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival.
The Competition & Festival is the culmination of the annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program (EE), which also includes non-competitive regional festivals around the country, teaching resources, a summer Band Director Academy, and more. The year-long Essentially Ellington program will have distributed more than 32,000 newly transcribed scores by the end of this school year. For more information including background, history and audio recordings of the Essentially Ellington repertoire, and more, visit: www.jazz.org/ee
This year, the Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival was accessible via social media on Facebook, Twitter @EssEllington, and Instagram @jazzdotorg. Throughout the weekend, students, viewers, and participants shared their thoughts and photos by using the hashtag #EssentiallyEllington.
The 15 Finalists for Essentially Ellington 2016 (in alphabetical order):
Beloit Memorial High School (Beloit, WI); Byron Center High School (Byron Center, MI); Crescent Super Band (American Fork, UT); Foxboro High School (Foxboro, MA); Garfield High School (Seattle, WA); Jazz House Kids (Montclair, NJ); Lexington High School (Lexington, MA); Mount Si High School (Snoqualmie, WA); New World School of the Arts (Miami, FL); Roosevelt High School (Seattle, WA); San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (San Diego, CA); Sun Prairie High School (Sun Prairie, WI); Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble (Raleigh, NC); Tucson Jazz Institute (Tucson, AZ); University High School (Orange City, FL).
Founding leadership support for Essentially Ellington is provided by The Jack and Susan Rudin Educational and Scholarship Fund.
Major support is provided by Jessica and Natan Bibliowicz, Alfred and Gail Engelberg, Casey Lipscomb, Dr. J. Douglas White and the King-White Family Foundation, Augustine Foundation, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation, and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Bloomberg, Con Edison, Entergy, and United Airlines.