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Osceola County School for the Arts wins first place in Essentially Ellington Competition

Osceola County School for the Arts jazz band, led by Jason Anderson
Shulamit Seidler-Feller
/
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Osceola County School for the Arts jazz band, led by Jason Anderson

Jazz at Lincoln Center announced the three top-placing high school jazz bands, as well as more than 35 individual and section awards, at the 28th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival held May 11-13, 2023 at Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. Osceola County High School from Kissimee, Florida took the first-place prize along with a cash award of $5,000. Susan E. Wagner High School from Staten Island, NY won the second-place prize and $2,500. New World School of the Arts from Miami, Florida won third-place prize at $1,000. Each of the remaining 12 bands received $500 for participating in the competition. In addition, more than 35 individual and section awards were given. The complete list of awardees is below.

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 Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member Ted Nash, and a free trip to New York City for the weekend.

The judges for the competition were: Wynton Marsalis; arranger and composer Francisco Torres; 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.

“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 Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, in a press release received by WBGO. “The things we take away from these experiences have nothing to do with competition. It has everything to do with coming together with people.”

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:
Jayah 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 goes to:
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 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 over 27 years, Lee Mergner served as an editor and publisher of JazzTimes until his resignation in January 2018. Thereafter, Mergner continued to regularly contribute features, profiles and interviews to the publication as a contributing editor for the next 4+ years. JazzTimes, which has won numerous ASCAP-Deems Taylor awards for music journalism, was founded in 1970 and was described by the All Music Guide, as “arguably the finest jazz magazine in the world.”