The Downers Grove South High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by Craig Roselieb, has been selected, through competitive taped audition, as one of 15 finalist bands for the 16th Annual Essentially Ellington Competition and Festival being held in New York, New York from May 12-14, 2011. To read the official press release from the Essentially Ellington Foundation, please follow this link : Announcing the 2011 Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival Finalists!
More than 1,500 high schools requested audition materials, of which 110 schools submitted an audition tapes which were evaluated by members of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, directed by Wynton Marsalis. The DGS Jazz Ensemble is one of only 15 finalist high school jazz bands that have been selected from this international audition pool.
"Being accepted to this festival is akin to reaching the jazz performance summit for a high school jazz ensemble." said DGS Fine Arts Chairman Glenn Williams. "This represents the pinnacle in performance proficiency for these student musicians."
In the coming months, a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will come to DGS to work with the students in the jazz ensemble. This elbow-to-elbow contact with an international jazz luminary is but one of the many benefits for students for participating in this program. The jazz performance growth of these students will be exponential in the coming weeks as they intensify their focus to prepare for the competition in May. Additionally, each student musician will now begin a rigorous program to develop the capital needed to participate in the trip to the Big Apple. The entire cost of the trip will be provided by individual students and families.
Wynton Marsalis, Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center, has this to say about the Essentially Ellington competition and festival for this year: "It is extremely gratifying to see the results of the seeds we sowed 16 years ago when we started Essentially Ellington. The improvement in the quality of the bands down through the years attests to the artistic substance of Duke Ellington's music. The enthusiasm and dedication of students, families, band directors, judges, and alumni testify to the timeless American values that define this competition and festival. I'm looking forward to hearing this year's finalists; it is my favorite time of year."
For information about jazz at DGS, please contact Glenn Williams, Fine Arts Chairman, at gwilliams@csd99.org. Individuals or families interested in participating in this venture by financially sponsoring all or part of the trip to New York May 11-14, 2011, should contact Glenn Williams either by e-mail or by phone (630) 795.8681,
