Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival

Every year, Jazz at Lincoln Center transcribes arrangements and compositions by Duke Ellington and sends them to participating high school and community jazz band directors across the United States and Canada. During the year, band directors are sent a newsletter and given access to online educational materials relevant to Ellington and his music. Directors can send recordings of their band's finished performances to Jazz at Lincoln Center for evaluation. These recordings can count as applications to the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival in New York City, though a non-competitive, comments-only option is also offered. Fifteen top bands are invited to compete in the festival, occurring every May at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall. After the finalists are announced, clinicians; usually members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; are sent to each of the finalist schools to provide a jazz workshop and prepare the bands for competition. At the New York festival, students are immersed in workshops, jam sessions, an open rehearsal and Q&A with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and performances by the participating bands. The festival ends with a concert by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the three top-placing bands, as well as an awards ceremony recognizing individual soloists and sections. ==History==

Beginning in 1995, Essentially Ellington materials were offered only to school bands across New York State and the greater New York metropolitan area. Over the next few years, the program grew to include all schools across the United States and Canada. In 2002, the first Essentially Ellington Writing Contest was held, inviting participating students to submit an essay or short story discussing various topics of jazz. In early 2006, Jazz at Lincoln Center announced the debut of Essentially Ellington's first regional festival. The regional festivals are non-competitive and offer high school jazz bands of different levels the opportunity to play Ellington's music and receive professional feedback. Starting in 2008, selections by big band composers other than Ellington were transcribed for the first time. In succeeding years, music by Benny Carter, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Mary Lou Williams, Gerald Wilson, Fletcher Henderson, Benny Golson, and others have been released. In 2013, a new selection process was introduced in which the top three bands chosen from five national regions would compete in New York City. Another major change made that year was the opening up of the main competition to allow conglomerate bands; extra-curricular bands composed of students from more than one high school; to compete directly with the high school bands. From 2005 until 2012, one conglomerate band was chosen to appear as a special guest in an exhibition performance outside of the festival, with the exception of 2008, when there were two conglomerate winners. Additionally in 2013, the Gerhard W. Vosshall Student Composition/Arranging Contest was added to the festival following a donation from the Vosshall family made in Gerhard's honor. The contest was renamed the Dr. J. Douglas White Student Composition and Arranging Contest in 2016. No winners were announced, although honors were given to individual soloists and sections. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2021 festival to also be held virtually. Jazz at Lincoln Center pushed back the release of new music until the 2021-2022 school year and encouraged participating schools to submit one tune from the entire Essentially Ellington library in either a synchronous or asynchronous fashion. Submission due dates were pushed back to March and the virtual festival to early June. The 2021 festival also introduced new rules regarding submissions from conglomerate bands, a previously largely unregulated field. The festival provided an official definition of conglomerate bands, stating that they need to follow a specific course of study, as well as a scope and sequence, all in addition to weekly rehearsals and scheduled public performances. All-Star, All-State, and All-Region bands are barred from competition, as are bands created for the sole purpose of competing in Essentially Ellington. In 2025, for the 30th anniversary of the competition and festival, the region system was once again temporarily disbanded and a total of thirty bands were selected to participate, double the amount in years prior. Twenty-seven bands were chosen across the United States via audition, and three international bands from Japan, Australia, and Spain received special invitation to compete. For the first time, the competition was held in two rounds. In round one, the 30 bands were split in two groups of 15, with each group adjudicated by a separate judging panel. Both panels advanced five ensembles each, creating a final round of ten competitors to compete for a spot in the top three. The final concert and awards ceremony was held at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. ==Notable alumni==

Many Essentially Ellington participants have gone on to lead successful musical careers. Some have become permanent or substitute members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and faculty for other Jazz at Lincoln Center youth programs. • Kris Bowers – composer, pianist, and film director • Roxy Coss – saxophonist and composer • Aaron Diehl – pianist and composer • Alex Dugdale – saxophonist • Carlos Henriquez – JLCO bassist • Coleman Hughes – podcast host and writer • Samara Joy – jazz vocalist • Samuel Mehr – cognitive scientist • Jahaan Sweet – record producer and songwriter • Alexa Tarantino – JLCO alto saxophonist, composer, and educator • Isaiah J. Thompson – pianist and composer • Erica von Kleist – flautist, saxophonist, and composer ==Finalists==

Several high school bands from the Seattle area have participated including repeat finalists: Roosevelt; Garfield; Bothell; Shorewood; Mount Si; Edmonds-Woodway; Mountlake Terrace; Newport and Ballard high schools. In 2008, five of the fifteen bands to compete were from the greater Seattle area. Acknowledging the region's dominance at the competition, Marsalis, tongue only half in cheek, challenged the remaining schools/regions, "to do something about Seattle and Washington." An asterisk (*) indicates a band was chosen as the winner of the community ensemble showcase, but did not directly compete in the festival. Alabama • Virgil I. Grissom High School – Huntsville, Alabama, 1999 • Hoover High School – Hoover, Alabama, 2025 Arizona • Tucson Jazz Institute – Tucson, Arizona, 2010*, 2012*, 2013 (1st), 2014 (1st), 2015 (2nd), 2016 (3rd), 2017 (1st), 2018 (3rd), 2021, 2025 California • Agoura High School (Jazz I) – Agoura Hills, California, 2004, 2005, 2006 (H.M.), 2007 (2nd), 2009, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 (3rd), 2025, 2026 • Agoura High School (Jazz II) – Agoura Hills, California, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2015 • Albany High School – Albany, California, 2010 • Alexander Hamilton High School – Los Angeles, California, 2026 • Calabasas High School – Calabasas, California, 2003, 2006, 2009 • Esperanza High School – Anaheim, California, 2012, 2026 • Los Angeles County High School for the Arts – Los Angeles, California, 2003 (3rd), 2006, 2009 • Orange County School of the Arts - Santa Ana, California 2022 (3rd), 2023, 2024, 2025 (top 10), 2026 (2nd) • Rio Americano High School – Sacramento, California, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012 (H.M.), 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2025 • San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts - San Diego, California, 2016, 2019 • SF Jazz All-Star High School Ensemble – San Francisco, California, 2002, 2003 (H.M.) • Stanford Jazz Workshop – Stanford, California, 2025 • Young Lions Jazz Conservatory – San Diego, California, 2026 Colorado • Denver School of the Arts – Denver, Colorado, 1999, 2004, 2017 (2nd), 2019, 2020 Connecticut • Connecticut Youth Jazz Workshop – Middletown, Connecticut, 2000, 2002 • Greenwich High School – Greenwich, Connecticut, 1996, 2003, 2007 • Guilford High School – Guilford, Connecticut, 1997, 1998 (H.M.), 1999, 2003 • Hall High School – West Hartford, Connecticut, 1997 (3rd), 1998 (1st), 1999 (2nd), 2000 (1st), 2001 (H.M.), 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025, 2026 Florida • Community Arts Program – Coral Gables, Florida 2013, 2014, 2015 • Dillard High School – Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2010 (2nd), 2011 (1st), 2012 (1st), 2013 (H.M.), 2014 (3rd), 2015 (H.M.), 2017 (3rd), 2018 (1st), 2019 (2nd), 2020, 2021 • Douglas Anderson School of the Arts – Jacksonville, Florida, 2004, 2006 (1st), 2008 • Dreyfoos School of the Arts – West Palm Beach, Florida, 1998, 2021, 2024, 2025 (top 10 H.M.), 2026 • Howard W. Blake High School – Tampa, Florida, 1999 (H.M.) • New World School of the Arts – Miami, Florida, 2000 (2nd), 2002 (3rd), 2003 (2nd), 2004 (H.M.), 2005 (1st), 2009 (H.M.), 2010, 2011 (H.M.), 2012 (3rd), 2013, 2015, 2016 (1st), 2020, 2022, 2023 (3rd), 2025 (top 10) • Osceola County High School for the Arts – Kissimmee, Florida, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2022 (1st), 2023 (1st), 2024 (2nd), 2025 (3rd), 2026 • Tarpon Springs High School – Tarpon Springs, Florida, 2019, 2020, 2026 • University High School - Orange City, Florida, 2016 Georgia • The Lovett School – Atlanta, Georgia, 2000, 2001 (3rd), 2004 (H.M.), 2010 Illinois • Champaign Central High School – Champaign, Illinois, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2021 • DeKalb High School– DeKalb, Illinois, 2008, 2012 • Downers Grove South High School – Downers Grove, Illinois, 2011 • East St. Louis Senior High School – East St. Louis, Illinois, 2011 • Lake Zurich High School – Lake Zurich, Illinois, 2006 • Lyons Township High School – La Grange, Illinois, 2015 • Naperville North High School – Naperville, Illinois, 2000 • St. Charles High School – St. Charles, Illinois, 1998, 2000 • St. Charles East High School – St. Charles, Illinois, 2003 • St. Charles North High School – St. Charles, Illinois, 2004, 2011 • Thornton Township High School – Harvey, Illinois, 2002 • Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage – Wheaton, Illinois, 2001 (H.M.), 2008*, 2024, 2025, 2026 Indiana • Southport High School – Indianapolis, Indiana, 1999 • Whiteland Community High School - Whiteland, Indiana, 2014 • Noblesville High School - Noblesville, Indiana, 2021, 2022 Iowa • North Scott High School – Eldridge, Iowa, 2009 • Sioux City North High School – Sioux City, Iowa, 2006 • Valley High School – West Des Moines, Iowa, 1999, 2011 Kansas • Shawnee Mission East High School – Prairie Village, Kansas, 2001, 2006 • Olathe Northwest High School – Olathe, Kansas, 2021 Maryland • Arundel High School – Gambrills, Maryland, 2001 Massachusetts • Foxborough High School – Foxborough, Massachusetts, 1997 (1st), 1998 (2nd), 1999 (H.M.), 2000 (H.M.), 2001 (H.M.), 2002, 2003, 2004 (2nd), 2005, 2007 (3rd), 2009, 2010 (3rd), 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 (3rd), 2021, 2022 (2nd), 2023 • King Philip Regional High School – Wrentham, Massachusetts, 2002, 2007 (H.M.), 2010, 2024, 2025 (top 10) • Lexington High School – Lexington, Massachusetts, 1998 (H.M.), 1999, 2003, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015 (3rd), 2016, 2017 • Medfield High School – Medfield, Massachusetts, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014 • Newton South High School – Newton, Massachusetts, 2018, 2021, 2025 • Wellesley High School – Wellesley, Massachusetts, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011 Michigan • Ann Arbor Huron High School – Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2025 (top 10) • Byron Center High School – Byron Center, Michigan, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 • Interlochen Center for the Arts – Interlochen, Michigan, 1998, 2003 Missouri • Grandview High School – Grandview, Missouri, 2007 Nebraska • Lincoln Southeast High School – Lincoln, Nebraska, 1999 New Jersey • Jazz House Kids – Montclair, New Jersey 2013 (2nd), 2014 (2nd), 2016, 2022, 2025 • Newark Academy – Livingston, New Jersey 2012, 2015, 2017 (H.M.), 2018 (2nd), 2019, 2022, 2024 (1st), 2025 (top 10) • Parsippany High School – Parsippany, New Jersey, 1996 New York • 315 All-Stars – Syracuse, New York, 2001 (1st), 2002, 2003 (H.M.) • Adlai E. Stevenson High School – Bronx, New York, 1996 (3rd) • Brentwood High School – Brentwood, New York 1996, 1997 • Canandaigua Academy – Canandaigua, New York, 1996 • Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music - Bronx, NY 2020, 2025 • Eastman Youth Jazz Ensemble – Rochester, New York, 2003, 2005*, 2006* • Ethical Culture Fieldston School – Riverdale, New York, 1996 • Honeoye Falls–Lima High School – Honeoye Falls, New York, 1996 (2nd), 1997 (H.M.), 2004, 2007 • Honeoye Falls-Perinton Jazz Ensemble – Honeoye Falls, NY, 1999 • Kingston High School – Kingston, New York, 2009 • Laurens Central School – Laurens, New York, 1996 • Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School – New York, New York, 1996 (1st), 1997 (2nd), 1998, 1999 (1st), 2000 (H.M.), 2002, 2005, 2010 • Miller Place High School – Miller Place, New York, 1996 • Penfield High School – Penfield, New York, 1997, 1998, 1999 • Rochester Area High School Jazz Ensemble – Honeoye Falls, New York, 2000 • Susan Wagner High School – Staten Island, New York, 2023 (2nd), 2024, 2025, 2026 • West Genesee High School – Camillus, New York, 1997 • Williamsville East High School – East Amherst, New York, 1999, 2007 North Carolina • Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble – Raleigh, North Carolina, 2016 (2nd), 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026 Ohio • Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra – Columbus, Ohio, 2002 • Lakota East High School – Liberty Township, Ohio 2012 • Westerville South High School – Westerville, Ohio, 2004 Oregon • American Music Program Pacific Crest Jazz Orchestra - Portland, Oregon, 2007*, 2008*, 2009*, 2011*, 2013, 2015 (1st) • Arts & Communication Magnet Academy – Beaverton, Oregon, 2005 Pennsylvania • Pennsbury High School – Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, 1997 (H.M.) • State College Area High School – State College, Pennsylvania, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2009 • Upper Darby High School – Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, 1998 Rhode Island • Barrington High School – Barrington, Rhode Island, 1998, 2000 Tennessee • Hume-Fogg High School – Nashville, Tennessee, 1998, 2010 • Memphis Central High School - Memphis, Tennessee, 2020, 2021, 2025 (1st) Texas • Carroll Senior High School – Southlake, Texas, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2025, 2026 • High School for the Performing and Visual Arts – Houston, Texas, 1999 (3rd) • Jazz Houston – Houston, Texas, 2026 • McKinney North High School – McKinney, Texas, 2026 • Plano Senior High School – Plano, Texas, 2005, 2010 • Plano West Senior High School - Plano, Texas, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 (top 10) • Stephen F. Austin High School – Austin, Texas, 2008 • Temple High School – Temple, Texas, 2004, 2011 Utah • Crescent Super Band – American Fork, Utah, 2016 Virginia • Chantilly High School – Chantilly, Virginia, 1997, 1998 • McLean High School – McLean, Virginia, 1997 Washington • Ballard High School – Seattle, Washington 2012, 2018 • Battle Ground High School – Battle Ground, Washington 2006 (2nd) • Bothell High School - Bothell, Washington 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 • Edmonds Woodway High School – Edmonds, Washington, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2017 • Garfield High School – Seattle, Washington, 1999 (H.M.), 2000 (H.M.), 2002 (2nd), 2003 (1st), 2004 (1st), 2005, 2006 (3rd), 2007, 2008 (2nd), 2009 (1st), 2010 (1st), 2013, 2014 (H.M.), 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025 • Kentlake High School – Kent, Washington, 2001 • Kentridge High School – Kent, Washington, 1999 • Mead High School – Spokane, Washington, 2004, 2007 • Mount Si High School – Snoqualmie, Washington 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022 • Mountlake Terrace High School – Mountlake Terrace, Washington, 2000, 2002 (H.M.), 2005 (3rd), 2008, 2011 (3rd), 2012, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2025, 2026 • Newport High School – Bellevue, Washington, 2001, 2006, 2009 • Roosevelt High School – Seattle, Washington, 1999, 2000 (3rd), 2001 (2nd), 2002 (1st), 2004, 2005 (2nd), 2006, 2007 (1st), 2008 (1st), 2009 (2nd), 2010 (H.M.), 2011 (2nd), 2012 (2nd), 2013 (3rd), 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 (H.M.), 2019 (1st), 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 • Seattle JazzED Ellington Ensemble – Seattle, Washington, 2020 • Shorewood High School – Shoreline, Washington, 2000, 2001, 2005 (H.M.), 2008 (H.M.), 2026 • South Whidbey High School – Langley, Washington, 2008 West Virginia • Fairmont Senior High School – Fairmont, West Virginia, 1997 Wisconsin • Badger Union High School – Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, 2009, 2012, 2013 • Beloit Memorial High School – Beloit, Wisconsin, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 (H.M.), 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026 • North High School – Eau Claire, Wisconsin 2012 • Memorial High School – Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009 (3rd), 2010 • Middleton High School – Middleton, Wisconsin, 2019 • Pulaski High School – Pulaski, Wisconsin, 2001 • Sun Prairie Jazz Ensemble I (Sun Prairie West & East High Schools) – Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, 1998 (3rd), 2000, 2001, 2004 (3rd), 2008 (3rd), 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2025 • Wauwatosa East High School – Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, 2010 Australia • Blackburn High School – Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2020, 2025 Canada • River East Collegiate – Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011 Cuba • La Jazz Band del Amadeo Roldán de la Habana – Havana, Cuba, 2020 Japan • Tomisato High School – Tomisato, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, 2020, 2025 Scotland • Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra – Edinburgh, Scotland, 2020 Spain • Sant Andreu Jazz Band – Barcelona, Spain, 2020, 2025 (2nd) ==Winners by year==

==Composition Contest Winners==