The Tucson Jazz Institute bid farewell at their Spring Concert (May 14, 2023) to 14 seniors. All but one were in the TJI Ellington Big Band and they are leaving with a skillset not many high schoolers have the opportunity to achieve in Arizona.
The Tucson Jazz Music Foundation is so very happy to have been able to contribute to their learning and growing through providing tuition scholarships to two of the graduates in the TJI Ellington Big Band: Matt Leal (Nogales trumpeter) and Aidan Schofield (trombone); sponsoring their trips/participation fees to jazz festivals (Highland/ASU), lending them audio equipment to practice at home (music tech / recording for college admissions), and especially being able to cover all the transportation costs for their trip to New York City | Essentially Ellington Regional Festival hosted by Julius Tolentino at the Newark Academy in New Jersey.
We wish them much success in their high education endeavors and careers.
- Oskar Anderson (trumpeter) | Pima Community College
- Mani Braitberg (trumpeter) | Northern Arizona University
- Tomas Comesana (trumpeter) | Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
- Dylan Dougherty (guitar) | Arizona State University
- Jonas Heidebrecht (alto & soprano sax/clarinet) | University of Arizona
- Diego Jaquez (trombonist) | Rice University, Houston, Texas (Tuba studies)
- William Kroner (trombonist) | St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota
- Matt Leal* (trumpeter) | Montclair University, Montclair, New Jersey
- Ethan Luker (bari sax) | University of Arizona
- Aidan Schofield* (trombonist) | University of Arizona
- Calvin Simmers (drummer) | Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- Matias Straub-Martinez (tenor sax) | University of Arizona
- Luke Weathers (guitar/trombone) | University of Arizona
- Ivanna Zuniga (alto sax/clarinet) | University of Arizona
- * denotes Tucson Jazz Music Foundation scholarship recipient
