LINDERO CANYON MIDDLE SCHOOL’S JAZZ “A” BAND RUNS AWAY WITH TOP AWARDS AT 2 RECENT MUSIC FESTIVALS

Information about Heritage Music Festival in San Diego

LINDERO CANYON MIDDLE SCHOOL’S MUSIC GROUPS TRIUMPH AT

SAN DIEGO HERITAGE MUSIC FESTIVAL ON March 26-27, 2011

Several of Lindero Canyon Middle School's performing groups, including the Jazz Band "A," Concert Band, Lindero Singers and Lindero’s String Orchestra, traveled to San Diego to participate in the two-day National Heritage Music Festival.

On Saturday, March 26 through Sunday, March 27, Lindero, along with other middle school and high school groups from throughout the western states, performed in front of a panel of nationally recognized music adjudicators.  The culminating awards ceremony was held at Sea World.  Lindero’s Orchestra, Concert Band and Jazz Band “A” received gold ratings. Lindero Singers received a silver rating. 

Jazz Band “A” took first place and also was awarded the Adjudicators Award and the Outstanding Musical Group Award for Best Band in the entire competition of both middle schools and high schools.  Additionally, 4 Maestro Awards for Outstanding Soloists were awarded to Jazz Band “A” students:  Ben Babylon on piano, John Miller on tenor saxophone, Andrew Nisenberg on guitar, and Jacob Staben on bass.  Another Maestro Award was awarded to Lindero’s Orchestra student, Abby Tsai for Outstanding String Player Soloist.  In addition, Lindero Canyon Middle School won the Instrumental Sweepstakes Award for the school with the best overall instrumental groups.

Information on Reno Jazz Festival

The University of Nevada, Reno, held its 49^th annual Jazz Festival on April 7-9, 2011.  The Reno Jazz Festival now ranks as one of the largest and most vibrant of its kind in the nation.  This Festival is known for bringing together some of the best and brightest young jazz talent in the country as well as some of the finest guest clinicians and educators in the world.  More than 300 school groups with over 9,000 participants from middle schools, high schools and colleges competed, and 50 professional musician clinicians, performers and adjudicators participated.

Lindero Canyon Middle School’s Jazz Band “A”, under the direction of Matt McKagan, took first place in the Middle School category. Lindero Canyon Middle School’s Jazz “A” Combo, under the direction of Matt Finders, also took first place in the Middle School Combo Category.  Additionally, Andrew Nisenberg (guitar) earned the Outstanding Middle School Rhythm Section Award and Ben Zacuto earned the Outstanding Middle School Trumpeter Award. Top honors went to John Miller (tenor saxophone) who was awarded the Overall Outstanding Middle School Performer Award.

Each year a renowned jazz artist or group performs on Friday night.  This year The Ravi Coltrane Quartet performed. Born into jazz royalty as the son of John and Alice Coltrane, Grammy-nominated saxophonist, bandleader and composer Ravi Coltrane has claimed his own rightful territory, creating work the New York Times has called “what jazz sounds like now.”

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