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Jazz at Lincoln Center Announces winners of Essentially Ellington Competition 2006

Jazz At Lincoln Center announces winners of its 11Th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival

1st Place:
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Jazz Ensemble 1, Jacksonville, Florida.

2nd Place:
Battle Ground High School Jazz Band, Battle Ground, Washington.

3rd Place:
Garfield High School Jazz Ensemble, Seattle, Washington.

New York, NY (May 20, 2006) Tonight, three high school jazz bands took top honors in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 11th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival. Each band was chosen by a panel of judges composed of distinguished jazz musicians – WYNTON MARSALIS, Jazz at Lincoln Center Artistic Director; Music Director, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, DAVID BAKER; composer, conductor, and Ellington authority DAVID BERGER; and author, composer, and conductor GUNTHER SCHULLER- from among the 15 finalist bands from the U.S. that came to the Competition & Festival on May 18, 19, & 20, 2006.

Essentially Ellington culminated in tonight’s concert at Avery Fisher Hall, at which each of the three top-placing bands performed two Ellington compositions, one alone and one with Jon Faddis, as guest soloist. Conductor, composer and educator, Mr. Faddis is the Director of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and studied under the great Dizzy Gillespie. The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra then performed a set of Ellington compositions that Jazz at Lincoln Center will distribute to high schools for Essentially Ellington 2007.

At the awards ceremony, Wynton Marsalis, presented prizes to each of the 15 finalist bands. Ace Martin, director of the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Jazz Ensemble I, accepted the 1st place trophy and award of $1,000. Greg McKelvey, director of the Battle Ground High School Jazz Band accepted the 2nd place trophy and award of $750. Clarence Acox, director of the Garfield High School Jazz Ensemble I, accepted the 3rd place trophy and award of $500. Agoura High School Jazz Band A was named honorable mention and was awarded $350. The remaining 10 bands were awarded certificates of merit and awards of $250 each. All monetary awards go toward improving schools’ jazz programs. Awards for outstanding soloists and sections were also presented (see attached listing for details). For the eigth year in a row, Jazz at Lincoln Center also presented the Ella Fitzgerald Vocalist Award, made possible by a grant from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

In addition, Jazz at Lincoln Center recognized winners in the fifth Essentially Ellington Essay Contest. The contest invited students from all participating high schools to submit an essay describing a personal experience with Jazz. Jazz at Lincoln Center received fifty-seven essays from which esteemed historian, author, editor, archivist, and Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University DAN MORGENSTERN chose the winners. As the 1st place winner for the winning essay entitled “Joy,” Jamie Utphall was invited to name a seat in Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and read her essay at the opening of the festival on Thursday, May 18, 2006.

2006 AWARDS

FIRST PLACE
Douglas Anderson School of the ArtsJazz Ensemble I

SECOND PLACE
Battle Ground High School Jazz Band

THIRD PLACE
Garfield High School Jazz Ensemble

HONORABLE MENTION BANDS
Agoura High School Jazz Band A

OUTSTANDING SOLOISTS

On Clarinet
Calabasas High School – Shanley Wang
Agoura High School – Daniel Janklow
Rio Americano High School – Adam Ballanti
Roosevelt High School – Alex Dugdale
Sioux City North High School – Willie Lohry

On Alto Saxophone
Calabasas High School – Mark Einhorn
Lexington High School – Ben Bautz
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts- Bryan Susman
Roosevelt High School – Logan Strosahl
State College Area High School – Greg Johnson

On Tenor Saxophone
Battle Ground High School – Zachary Ferguson
Garfield High School – Andrew Mulherkar
Garfield High School – Joel Gombiner
Garfield High School – Devin Mooers
Lake Zurich High School – Jim Schram
Lexington High School – Sam Mehr
Sioux City North High School – Steve Lambert

On Trumpet
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts – Jeron Fruge
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts- Emile Martinez

On Trombone
Battle Ground High School – Scott Bay
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts – T.J. Norris
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts – Corey Wilcox
Garfield High School – Samuel Schlosser
Shawnee Mission East High School – Nathan Lane

On Piano
Agoura High School – Jordan Seigel
Calabasas High School – Shanley Wang
Calabasas High School – Shani Shousterman
Lexington High School – Malcolm Campbell
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts- Kristopher Bowers

Vocals
Calabasas High School – Mallory Glaser
State College Area High School – Sarah Shafer

*On Bass *
Garfield High School – Allison Wood
Lexington High School – Zack Nestel-Patt
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts- Jonathan Richards

On Guitar
Newport High School – Ryan Clodfelter
Shawnee Mission East High School – Corey Waldman

Honorable Mention on Guitar
Lake Zurich High School – Sam Kasprowicz

Honorable Mention on Piano
Sioux City North High School – Katerina Belkin
Wellesley High School – Will Beaman
Garfield High School – Benjamin Hamaji

Honorable Mention on Trombone
Shawnee Mission East High School – Patrick Montgomery

Honorable Mention on French Horn
Agoura High School – Matt Bronstein On Tuba
Lexington High School – Josiah Reibstein

*Honorable Mention on Alto Saxophone *
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts- Daniel Richardson

Honorable Mention on Trumpet
Garfield High School – Zubin Hensler
Rio Americano High School – Justin Au
Roosevelt High School – Charlie Fisher
Sioux City North High School – John Pritchard

*Honorable Mention on Baritone Saxophone *
Battle Ground High School – Matthew Hokanson Garfield High School – Zachary Hughes
Roosevelt High School – Sam Sidoine

Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Vocalist Awards:
(made possible by Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation):
Roosevelt High School – Isabella du Graf

OUTSTANDING SECTIONS

Reeds
Calabasas High School
Lexington High School

*Trombones *
Battle Ground High School
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
Newport High School

*Trumpets *
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts

Pep Section
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts

Rhythm Section
Battle Ground High School

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