Contact: Sue Mingus
Let My Children Hear Music
484 West 43rd Street, 43-S, New York, NY 10036
(212) 736-4749 Fax (212) 736-6149
http://www.mingusmingusmingus.com/JazzEducation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Finalists announced for the First Annual Charles Mingus High School Competition
New York, NY – January 15,
2009 – Sue Mingus of Let My Children Hear Music and Justin DiCioccio of
The Manhattan School of Music are pleased to announce the finalists in the First
Annual Charles Mingus High School Competition.
The finalists (in alphabetical order)
are:
BIG BAND CATEGORY
Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra, Rochester, NY. Band Director: Howard Potter
Gates Chili High School Jazz Ensemble, Rochester, NY. Band Director: Christopher
Oldfield
LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, Senior Jazz Band, New York, NY. Band
Director: Kevin Blancq
Lexington High School Jazz Ensemble, Lexington, MA. Band Director, Jeffrey Leonard
Rivers Big Band, The Rivers School, Weston, MA. Band Director: Philippe Crettien
COMBO CATEGORY
Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, Jazz Ensemble 3, Hartford, CT. Band Directors:
Kris Allen and Jimmy Greene
King Phillip Regional High School Jazz Combo 1, Wrentham, MA. Band Directors:
Peter Levesque and Peter Tileson
LaGuardia High School Jazz Quintet, New York, NY. Band Director: Kevin Blancq
Manhattan School of Music Precollege Combo, New York, NY. Band Director: Jeremy
Manasia
The Rivers School, Rivers Select 1 Combo, Weston, MA. Band Director: Philippe
Crettien
The Mingus High School Competition will take place on February 22, 2009, as
the final event of the three-day Mingus Summit at Manhattan School of Music
in New York City. All events are free and open to the public. Prizes will be
awarded in the following categories: Best Big Band, Best Combo, Outstanding
Soloists, Outstanding Big Band Section, and Outstanding Combo Arrangement. We
are also pleased to announce the surprise news that two scholarships to Manhattan
School of Music will be awarded at the Competition.
Next year’s Competition will be open to high schools nationwide. Details
will be announced soon in order to allow plenty of time in the spring and summer
for preparation.
Our adjudicators were impressed by the high quality of the submissions and thrilled
to hear Mingus music played with such heart and commitment. We are all very
excited to see Mingus energy thriving and inspiring these young musicians.
Sue Mingus
Justin DiCioccio
MINGUS SUMMIT AND HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, Feb 20, 2009 7:30pm-9pm MINGUS SUMMIT
Manhattan School of Music
122nd Street & Broadway, NYC
Greenfield Hall
Keynote Address by Gunther Schuller (Pulitzer Prize-winning Composer/Conductor).
Panel Discussion moderated by Justin DiCioccio (Manhattan School of Music Jazz
Director), with Schuller, Vincent Herring (saxophonist/educator), Conrad Herwig
(trombonist/Professor Jazz Studies, Rutgers), Andy McKee (bassist/ Director
Mingus Ensemble, New School University), and Sue Mingus (President of Let My
Children Hear Music/The Charles Mingus Institute, and creator of the Mingus
repertory bands). Free and open to the public.
SATURDAY, Feb 21, 2009 7:30pm-9:30pm MINGUS SUMMIT
Manhattan School of Music
122nd Street & Broadway, NYC
John C Borden Auditorium
Performance by Manhattan School of Music Combo, featuring guest soloist and
director Steve Slagle from the Mingus Big Band. Free and open to the public.
SUNDAY, Feb 22, 2009 10am-7pm MINGUS HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION
Manhattan School of Music
122nd Street & Broadway, NYC
John C Borden Auditorium
Free and open to the public.
Adjudicators for the Competition: Conrad Herwig, Gunther Schuller, Boris Kozlov,
Vincent Herring, Justin DiCioccio, and Donny McCaslin.
10am-11:30am COMBO COMPETITION –
- LaGuardia High School Jazz Quintet, New York, NY. Band Director: Kevin Blancq
- King Phillip Regional High School Jazz Combo 1, Wrentham, MA. Band Directors:
Peter Levesque and Peter Tileson
- Manhattan School of Music Precollege Combo, New York, NY. Band Director: Jeremy
Manasia
11:30am-11:45am SHORT BREAK
11:45am-12:45pm COMBO COMPETITION –
- Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, Jazz Ensemble 3, Hartford, CT. Band
Directors: Kris Allen and Jimmy Greene
- The Rivers School, Rivers Select 1 Combo, Weston, MA. Band Director: Philippe
Crettien
12:45pm-2pm LUNCH BREAK
2pm-3:30pm BIG BAND COMPETITION –
- Gates Chili High School Jazz Ensemble, Rochester, NY. Band Director: Christopher
Oldfield
- Rivers Big Band, The Rivers School, Weston, MA. Band Director: Philippe Crettien
- LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, Senior Jazz Band, New York, NY. Band
Director: Kevin Blancq
3:30pm-3:45pm SHORT BREAK
3:45pm-5pm BIG BAND COMPETITION –
- Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra, Rochester, NY. Band Director: Howard Potter
- Lexington High School Jazz Ensemble, Lexington, MA. Band Director, Jeffrey
Leonard
5pm PERFORMANCE by the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra, conducted by
Justin DiCioccio, just back from conducting orchestra at the Grammy awards!
5:30pm PERFORMANCE by Mingus Dynasty featuring Boris Kozlov (playing Charles
Mingus’ lionhead bass), Vincent Herring, Conrad Herwig, Donny McCaslin,
Justin Faulkner (high school drummer from Girard Academic Music Program in Philadelphia),
Alex Sipiagin, and Helen Sung.
6pm-7pm AWARDS ceremony and goodbyes.
MONDAY, February 23 SETS AT 7:30
& 9:30 MINGUS DYNASTY
Jazz Standard
116 East 27th btw Park & Lex
New York, NY 212-576-2232
Alto/flute: Vincent Herring, Tenor Saxophone: Seamus Blake, Trumpet: Alex Sipiagin,
Trombone: Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Bass: Boris Kozlov, Piano: David Kikoski, Drums:
Jeff "Tain" Watts.
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