Jazz at Lincoln Center today announced the three top-placing high school jazz bands in the nation and more than 35 other individual and section awards in the prestigious 28th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the hallmark program for the largest jazz education network in the world. Wynton Marsalis presented awards to each of the 15-finalist high school jazz bands. Osceola County School for the Arts took home the first-place trophy and an award of $5,0000. Susan E. Wagner High School accepted second place and an award of $2,500. New World School of the Arts accepted third place with an award of $1,000. The remaining bands were each awarded $500. All monetary awards are to be used for improving the jazz education programs of each respective high school.
“It is emotional for me to hear our young people play during Essentially Ellington. Just to see some of them playing by memory, understanding how difficult it is for them to face their nerves, the things they have to do to not let the ensemble down and the difficulty of what is being played…. To think that competing against people is important – you realize as you get older that that is not what’s important,” said Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. “The things we take away from these experiences have nothing to do with competition. It has everything to do with coming together with people.”
In addition to highlighting the best high school jazz bands, Henry Koban Payne from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, won the 11th Annual J. Douglas White Essentially Ellington Student Composition and Arranging Contest. His original composition, “Too Selfish,” was recorded by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on Wednesday, May 10. Koban Payne also received a $1,000 cash prize, a composition lesson with Grammy Award-winning musician and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member, Ted Nash, and a free trip to New York City for the weekend.
The three-day festival provided students with a Q&A with Wynton Marsalis, section-specific masterclasses, jam sessions with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra members, pre-performance rehearsals, and more. The weekend culminated in Saturday night concerts on the iconic Jazz at Lincoln Center stage where each top-placing band performed with their choice Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member as a featured soloist. The night also featured the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis – whose members served as mentors for the finalist bands throughout the weekend – performing repertoire to be featured as part of next year’s Essentially Ellington program.
The Essentially Ellington band program includes access to free sheet music, instruction by legendary musicians, regional festivals, educational resources, and the chance of a lifetime to play on the stage of Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. At the start of the school year, the Essentially Ellington program provided transcribed and published previously unavailable sheet music that bands could submit to apply for the event; traditionally this music was by Duke Ellington and over the years expanded to include Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, and more. This year, for the first time ever, the musical options include four songs by Afro-Cuban-New York jazz and salsa pioneer Machito.
Photos of the three finalist bands can be found here. Credit should be attributed to: Shulamit Seidler-Feller/Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Complete list of awardees:
1st PLACE
Osceola County School for the Arts
Kissimmee, FL
(Director, Jason Anderson)
2nd PLACE
Susan E. Wagner High School
Staten Island, NY
(Director, Paul Corn)
3rd PLACE
New World School of the Arts
Miami, FL
(Director, Jim Gasior)
OUTSTANDING RHYTHM SECTION:
New World School of the Arts
Roosevelt High School
Osceola County School for the Arts
Susan E. Wagner High School
OUTSTANDING LATIN PERCUSSION:
Osceola County School for the Arts
HONORABLE MENTION SAXOPHONE SECTION:
Foxboro High School
OUTSTANDING SAXOPHONE SECTION:
New World School of the Arts
Orange County School of the Arts
OUTSTANDING TROMBONE SECTION:
William H. Hall High School
Plano West Senior High School
Garfield High School
Agoura High School
OUTSTANDING TRUMPET SECTION:
Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble
Byron Center High School
Garfield High School
Agoura High School
OUTSTANDING BRASS SECTION:
Bothell High School
Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble
Byron Center High School
OUTSTANDING PEP SECTION:
Beloit Memorial High School
HONORABLE MENTION PIANO:
Miles Wisdom – Beloit Memorial High School
Andre Perlman – New World School of the Arts
Vuyani Saige – Plano West Senior High School
Elliot Lydon – Sun Prairie Jazz Ensemble
OUTSTANDING PIANO:
Avery Allen – William H. Hall High School
Kai Wong – Beloit Memorial High School
Nathan Tatsuta – Orange County School of the Arts
OUTSTANDING RHYTHM GUITAR:
Jasmine Dang – William H. Hall High School
HONORABLE MENTION BASS:
Eli Schneider – Byron Center High School
OUTSTANDING BASS:
Rayah Thomas – Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble
Tony Severson – Beloit Memorial High School
Giuliano Liu – Garfield High School
OUTSTANDING DRUMS:
Ethan Oliver – Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble
Jonathan Garrett – Beloit Memorial High School
Yoshi Stroh – Roosevelt High School
Liam Earnst – Foxboro High School
OUTSTANDING PERCUSSION:
Isaiah Bravo – Osceola County School for the Arts
OUTSTANDING FLUTE:
Shyam Thandullu – Plano West Senior High School
HONORABLE MENTION CLARINET:
Aaron Mamula – Bothell High School
Sean McCoy – Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble
Juanita Duarte – Sun Prairie Jazz Ensemble
OUTSTANDING CLARINET:
Chloe Madrak – William H. Hall High School
Peter Strickland – Garfield High School
Emma Lacy – Foxboro High School
OUTSTANDING SOPRANO SAXOPHONE:
Samuel Chung – Orange County School of the Arts
HONORABLE MENTION ALTO SAXOPHONE
Aaron Mamula – Bothell High School
Charlee Dobson-Cohen – Roosevelt High School
Solomon Geleta – Osceola County School for the Arts
OUTSTANDING ALTO SAXOPHONE:
Ryan Goodman – New World School of the Arts
Jordan McAllister – New World School of the Arts
Nicolo Boselli – Plano West Senior High School
Graham Cobden – Garfield High School
Max Slonim – Susan E. Wagner High School
Jack Leiberman – Agoura High School
Ethan Moehr – Sun Prairie Jazz Ensemble
HONORABLE MENTION TENOR SAXOPHONE:
Kai Wong – Beloit Memorial High School
Annette Cortez – Beloit Memorial High School
Nola Gooch – Foxboro High School
OUTSTANDING TENOR SAXOPHONE:
Luka Ison – Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble
Ryan Kaplan – New World School of the Arts
Lucas Netto – New World School of the Arts
Taiyo Fuwa – Roosevelt High School
HONORABLE MENTION BARITONE SAXOPHONE:
Akash Singh – Bothell High School
OUTSTANDING BARITONE SAXOPHONE:
Sarah Ramsden – Beloit Memorial High School
Samuel Chung – Orange County School of the Arts
HONORABLE MENTION DOUBLER:
Abi Collier – Byron Center High School
Trent Horio – Orange County School of the Arts
OUTSTANDING DOUBLER:
Chloe Madrak – William H. Hall High School
Peter Strickland – Garfield High School
Jack Lieberman – Agoura High School
OUTSTANDING TRIPLER:
Samuel Chung – Orange County School of the Arts
Emma Lacy – Foxboro High School
HONORABLE MENTION TROMBONE:
Maddie Makarewicz – William H. Hall High School
Alex Heidelbaugh – Plano West Senior High School
Garrett Khatchaturian – Agoura High School
Jordan Klein – Agoura High School
OUTSTANDING TROMBONE:
Luke Ramee – Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble
Pri Magavi – William H. Hall High School
Andre Perlman – New World School of the Arts
Colin Woniewski – Byron Center High School
HONORABLE MENTION TRUMPET:
Lucas Rivero – New World School of the Arts
OUTSTANDING TRUMPET:
Zeb Jewell-Alibhai – Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble
Xavier Anderson – Osceola County School for the Arts
Daniel Portuondo – Osceola County School for the Arts
Timothy Park – Garfield High School
Gianna Ciaburri – Susan E. Wagner High School
Taymar Garlington – Susan E. Wagner High School
OUTSTANDING LEAD TRUMPET:
Nathaniel Williford – Osceola County School for the Arts
Aaron Vetter – Sun Prairie Jazz Ensemble
THE COOTIE WILLIAMS AWARD:
Timothy Park – Garfield High School
The Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Soloist Award:
Kai Wong – Beloit Memorial High School
WINNER OF THE 11TH ANNUAL DR. J. DOUGLAS WHITE
STUDENT COMPOSITION AND ARRANGING CONTEST:
Henry Koban Payne from Lower Merion High School for his original composition “Too Selfish”
The top-placing bands were chosen by a panel of judges comprising distinguished jazz musicians and historians, Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center Wynton Marsalis, jazz arranger and composer Francisco Torres, top jazz drummer Jeff Hamilton, Essentially Ellington alumni and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra bass player, Carlos Henriquez, and saxophonist, composer and Essentially Ellington alum Alexa Tarantino.
The 15 Finalists for Essentially Ellington 2023 (in alphabetical order):
Agoura High School (Agoura Hills, CA)
Beloit Memorial High School (Beloit, WI)
Bothell High School (Bothell, WA)
Byron Center High School (Byron Center, MI)
Foxboro High School (Foxboro, MA)
Garfield High School (Seattle, WA)
New World School of the Arts (Miami, FL)
Orange County School of the Arts (Santa Ana, CA)
Osceola County School for the Arts (Kissimmee, FL)
Plano West Senior High School (Plano, TX)
Roosevelt High School (Seattle, WA)
Sun Prairie Jazz Ensemble (Sun Prairie, WI)
Susan E. Wagner High School (Staten Island, NY)
Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble (Raleigh, NC)
William H. Hall High School (West Hartford, CT)
For more information, please visit: jazz.org/ellington.
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About Jazz at Lincoln Center:
Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. It produces an annual concert season in Rose Theater and the Appel Room and nightly concerts at Dizzy’s Club, all located in Frederick P. Rose Hall on the 5th floor of the Deutsche Bank Center in Columbus Circle, NYC. JALC education programs include the Essentially Ellington High School Band Competition and Festival, Webop, Jazz for Young People, Swing U, and the Jazz Academy video library. JALC’s advocacy initiatives include Blue Engine Records and Jazz Congress, a two-day gathering of the jazz community. The mission of Jazz at Lincoln Center is to entertain, enrich and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy. We believe jazz is a metaphor for Democracy. Because jazz is improvisational, it celebrates personal freedom and encourages individual expression. Because jazz is swinging, it dedicates that freedom to finding and maintaining common ground with others. Because jazz is rooted in the blues, it inspires us to face adversity with persistent optimism.
Jazz at Lincoln Center thanks all of the supporters of Essentially Ellington who give us
the tools to remain flexible and to continue to serve our mission.
Founding leadership support for Essentially Ellington is provided by
The Jack and Susan Rudin Educational and Scholarship Fund
and Gail and Alfred Engelberg.
Leadership support is provided by Jody and John Arnhold.
Major support is provided by Augustine Foundation;
the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Fund;
and Weissman Family Foundation.
Generous support is provided by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation;
and Dr. J. Douglas White and the King-White Family Foundation.
Additional support is provided by Diane Coffey and
Michelle Deal Winfield.
The Movado Group Foundation is the Official Timekeeper of Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jazz at Lincoln Center proudly acknowledges its major corporate partners: The Movado Group Foundation,
Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Coca-Cola Company.
Press Inquiries:
Alyssa Bendetson
Associate Director, Public Relations and External Communications
Jazz at Lincoln Center
abendetson@jazz.org
SKDK:
Susannah Berlowe Binder
sberlowebinder@skdknick.com