Gilberto Tadday Gilberto Tadday/Jazz at Lincoln Center
The 30th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival. Directed by Joan Chamorro and 2nd place in the competition, the Sant Andreu Jazz Band from Barcelona, Spain, performs at the Rose Theater on Saturday, May 10, 2025. New York. Jazz at Lincoln Center. Photo: Gilberto Tadday/Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Three Carroll High School students were recognized for their outstanding work at this year's Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival, held in New York City.
Maggie Kester was one of three named Outstanding Lead Trumpet. Sophia Kidwell was named an Honorable Mention for her clarinet play, and Michael Fradkin was an Honorable Mention for tenor saxophone.
The Carroll Jazz Band was awarded $1,000 for its performance at the lauded festival.
“One of the things I'm most proud of about this festival is how it brings together parents, children, administrators, and communities around something truly worthwhile—the inner development of our kids," said Wynton Marsalis, managing and artistic director of jazz at Lincoln Center.
This year’s finalists, including Carroll, were selected from 127 schools that submitted recordings of select tunes from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s R. Theodore Ammon Archives and Music Library.
Memphis Central High School from Memphis, Tennessee took home the first place trophy and an award of $10,000. Sant Andreu Jazz Band from Barcelona, Spain earned second place honors and a prize of $7,500. Osceola County School for the Arts from Kissimmee, Florida accepted third place with an award of $5,000. Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts from West Palm Beach, Florida was awarded an honorable mention and $2,500.