Jazz At Lincoln Center Announces Inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship Top-Placing Band Programs

In an awards ceremony tonight, January 19, at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis announced the top three university and college jazz band programs in the nation.

On January 18-19, ten of the nation's most well-regarded university jazz programs competed in Jazz at Lincoln Center's inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship -a two-day invitational competition at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. The university jazz programs were immersed in rehearsals, workshops, and a combo showcase.

The first-place winner is Temple University, the second-place winner is Indiana University, and the third-place winner is Michigan State University.

The Jack Rudin Jazz Championship honors the legacy of Jack Rudin, longtime supporter of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and his founding support for Essentially Ellington, the organization's signature transformative education program. Beginning this year, the Jack Rudin Jazz Championship provided participating ensembles with quality literature and a forum for celebrating excellence and achievement, while introducing higher education to Jazz at Lincoln Center's education methodology and philosophy.

A longtime supporter of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jack and his beloved wife Susan have been steadfast in their commitment to our music and mission. Jack and Susan understood very early on the value and importance of educating our youth about this important American art form-jazz. Jack was all about education for young people, particularly those who were disadvantaged. In 2012, Jack and Susan generously endowed Jazz at Lincoln Center's national Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program, the first of our programs to be endowed.

Jazz at Lincoln Center's Inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship Awards:

1st PLACE
Temple University

2nd PLACE
Indiana University

3rd PLACE
Michigan State University

OUTSTANDING RHYTHM SECTION:
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

OUTSTANDING SAXOPHONE SECTION:
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

OUTSTANDING TROMBONE SECTION:
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS
EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

OUTSTANDING TRUMPET SECTION:
THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

OUTSTANDING PIANO:
DABIN RYU (MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC)
AMANDA HAMILTON (CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE)
ISAIAH THOMPSON (THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL)
SEQUOIA SNYDER (MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY)

OUTSTANDING BASS:
LIANY MATEO (MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY)

OUTSTANDING DRUMS:
MYLES MARTIN (CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE)

OUTSTANDING GUITAR:
JACK ROBEN (UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO)

OUTSTANDING SOPRANO SAXOPHONE:
MATTHEW INCONTRO (EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC)

OUTSTANDING ALTO SAXOPHONE:
SAM HESCH (UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO)
Marc Schwartz (UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO)
Joseph Miller (MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC)
WILL NATHMAN (UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS)
SAMUEL KING (NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY)

OUTSTANDING TENOR SAXOPHONE:
CHRIS ASTOQUILLCA (CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE)
DYLAN BAND (TEMPLE UNIVERSITY)
SAMUEL COREY (MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY)

OUTSTANDING BARITONE SAXOPHONE:
JACKSON BRANDFIELD (MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY)

OUTSTANDING TROMBONE:
ZACH RICH (UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO)
JAKE HANDELMAN (INDIANA UNIVERSITY)

OUTSTANDING TRUMPET:
GEOFFREY GALANTE (MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC)
SKYLER FLOE (INDIANA UNIVERSITY)
CESAR HERNANDEZ (CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE)
SUMMER CAMARGO (THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL)
ANTHONY HERVEY (THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL)
AUSTIN FORD (UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS)
CHRIS VAN LEEUWEN (UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS)
EMIEL DEJAEGHER (EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC)
FAREED SIMPSON-HANKINS (TEMPLE UNIVERSITY)

EARL HINES OUTSTANDING SOLOIST AWARD
ANA NELSON, CLARINET (INDIANA UNIVERSITY)

Each finalist band was chosen by a panel of judges comprised of distinguished jazz musicians and historians: Jazz at Lincoln Center's Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis; Grammy Award-winning double-bassist, and the most-recorded jazz bassist in history Ron Carter; critically acclaimed trumpet player Tanya Darby; big band leader, drummer and Grammy Award-nominated recording artist Jeff Hamilton; and Grammy Award-nominated baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan.

At the awards ceremony, Wynton Marsalis presented awards to each of the 10 college and university jazz bands. Temple University accepted the first place trophy and an award of $10,000. Indiana University accepted the second place trophy and an award of $7,500. Michigan State University accepted the third place trophy with an award of $5,000. All monetary awards are to be used for improving the jazz education programs of each respective university and college program.

Ensembles that competed in the Inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship hail from the following colleges and universities:
California State University, Northridge (Northridge, CA)
University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO)
University of North Texas (Denton, TX)
Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)
Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY)
North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC)
Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)
The Juilliard School (New York, NY)
Manhattan School of Music (New York, NY)

Additional information may be found at jazz.org.