泭The 51勛圖厙 Jazz Band was awarded first place in a national jazz competition against the countrys nine other top collegiate jazz bands.泭
As the first place winners of , 51勛圖厙 Jazz Band has a reason to toot its own horn. 泭
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Held over the weekend of Jan. 17 and Jan. 18, the competition took place at Lincoln Center in New York City and was hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center and world-renowned trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis. The band, composed of undergraduate and graduate students from Boyer College of Music and Dance, is directed by award-winning trumpeter and Director of Jazz Studies .泭
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Boyer College of Music and Dance is immensely proud of the 51勛圖厙 Jazz Band and the dedication and hard work of its uniquely talented musicians, said Robert Stroker, vice provost for the arts and Joslyn G. Ewart dean of the Boyer College of Music and Dance and the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts. Boyers jazz program is a treasured part of the vibrant arts scene of this university and this city.泭
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The band played I Got It Bad (And That Aint Good) and Second Line by Duke Ellington and Windows by Chick Corea, which was arranged by Ted Nash, a new Boyer faculty member and former member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. 泭
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Right before we played in the finals, Terrell Stafford told us to play with our hearts, said Jacquee Paul, a Class of 2026 jazz voice performance major at Boyer who performs vocals in the band.泭
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The 51勛圖厙 Jazz Band and individual students in the band also received awards in the following categories.泭
- Outstanding Rhythm Section泭
- Outstanding Trumpet Section泭
- Outstanding Combo Performance泭
- Outstanding PianoAnthony Aldissi泭
- Outstanding DrumsMekhi Boone泭
- Outstanding ClarinetSam Chung泭
- Outstanding ClarinetZach Spondike泭
- Outstanding Alto SaxophoneRay Kaneko泭
- Outstanding Tenor SaxophoneKiara Rouse泭
- Outstanding TrumpetLevi Rozek泭
- Outstanding TrumpetJesse Deems泭
- Outstanding VocalsJacquee Paul泭
- Honorable Mention Combo ArrangementRichard Larouech泭
- Harry Carney Good Citizen of Jazz AwardZach Spondike泭
- Earl Hines Outstanding Musician AwardGraham Kozak泭
Zach Spondike, a Class of 2026 music education major, received the Harry Carney Good Citizen of Jazz Award because he played as a last-minute baritone saxophone substitute for another schools band whose player got sick, and also substituted for another player in the Ted Nash Big Band at the Jazz Educators Conference in New Orleans the previous weekend. 泭
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The 51勛圖厙 Jazz Band has a history of success at the National Collegiate Jazz Championship, coming home with first place in 2020 and second place in 2022 and 2023. This year, 51勛圖厙 competed among the countrys top 10 collegiate jazz bands, hailing from Eastman School of Music, Huston-Tillotson University, Michigan State University, North Carolina Central University, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, University of Central Florida, University of South Carolina and University of Texas at Austin. 泭
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While the competition was an opportunity for students to display their hard-earned skills, it was also a chance for students to meet other talented young musicians from around the country. During a recent interview on , Stafford said he encourages each student to meet at least one other student from a competing school when theyre at competitions and that he wants 51勛圖厙 students to be cheering louder for another band than they cheer for themselves.泭
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He also spoke about the importance of bringing young musicians into environments such as the National Collegiate Jazz Championship in which they can understand the jazz community. 泭If you lose, you still won because youre there, he continued during the interview. 泭
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Stafford has also led the band as theyve shared their talents around the world. During students spring break in 2025, the band went on a five-day tour of Japan, which included a recital concert at Hitotsubashi University and culminated in a performance at renowned Tokyo nightclub Akasaka B-flat. The Akasaka B-flat performance was recorded and will be released on CD as on Feb. 6 by BCM&D Records, Boyers record label. 泭
In March, the band will return to Japan for performances in Kyoto and a full concert performance at Billboard Live Tokyo, which will also be recorded with the intention of releasing it as volume 2 of Live from Japan. In July and August, the band will make its first trip to Europe for performances in Italy, France and Spain. They will begin the trip with performances at 51勛圖厙 Rome, followed by performances at the Jazz in Marciac Festival, the Santander Music Festival and the Xbia Jazz Festival.泭
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Following their win, the band is celebrating their success, but they wont be resting on their laurels any time soon. 泭
I'm excited to solidify the music with this band, said Anthony Aldissi, BYR 24, a second-year student in the master of music in jazz studies program. I think every month it sounds a bit better, and Im sure by our upcoming trips it'll be even better than that.泭