2 Seattle High Schools To Compete In National Jazz Competition

From Jazz: Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis will serve on a judging panel as more than 300 students from the top 15 high school jazz bands across the nation compete in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 23rd annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, the largest gathering of high school age jazz musicians in America. Competition events will take place beginning on Thursday, May 10th and will continue through Saturday, May 12th.

The 15 finalist bands will travel to New York City, where the weekend will kick off with the annual Essentially Ellington Luncheon - held in honor of the 15 finalists - followed by a grand processional, with each of the 15 finalist bands officially announced and received by a roaring crowd of supporters ahead of their long-awaited performances.

The top 15 high school jazz bands are: Agoura High School (Agoura Hills, CA), Ballard High School (Seattle, WA), Beloit Memorial High School(Beloit, WI), Carroll Senior High School (Southlake, TX), Champaign Central High School (Champaign, IL), Dillard Center for the Arts (Fort Lauderdale, FL), Mountlake Terrace High School (Mountlake Terrace, WA), Newark Academy (Livingston, NJ), Newton South High School (Newton, MA), Osceola County School for the Arts (Kissimmee, FL), Roosevelt High School (Seattle, WA), Sun Prairie High School (Sun Prairie, WI), Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble (Raleigh, NC), Tucson Jazz Institute (Tucson, AZ) and William H. Hall High School (West Hartford, CT).

The event is the culmination the annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program which also includes non-competitive regional festivals around the country, teaching resources, a summer Band Director Academy, and more. Essentially Ellington is at the cornerstone of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s educational initiatives – not to mention one of the most innovative jazz education events in the world.

A livestream of all performances can be seen here: www.jazz.org/live.

WHEN: Thursday, May 10

• Essentially Ellington Luncheon
• 11:00am: Media check-in in Atrium
• 11:30am: Luncheon
• Appel Room

Friday, May 11

• Competition Part I
• 1:30pm: Media check-in in Atrium
• 2:00 – 6:30pm: Eight bands perform

Saturday, May 12

• Competition Part II
• 9:30am: Media check-in in Atrium
• 10:00 – 11:30am: Four bands perform

Competition Part III

• 12:30pm: Media check-in in Atrium
• 1:00 – 2:30pm: Three bands perform

Winning Band Announcement

3:30pm: Media check-in in Atrium

4:00pm: Announcement of three top-placing bands

Final Concert and Awards Ceremony

7:00pm: Media check-in in Atrium

7:30pm: Concert and Awards Ceremony

WHERE: All events will take place at: Jazz at Lincoln Center, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th Street, New York, NY.

Image Via Shuttershock