Mount Si chosen for ‘Essentially Ellington’
Published 10:49 am Thursday, February 20, 2014
Mount Si High School’s Jazz Band achieved a long-held goal this week, when it was selected as a finalist in the 2014 Essentially Ellington Jazz Competition in New York.
“We are pretty excited,” said band director Matt Wenman, in a phone call while the school is on mid-winter break.
Essentially Ellington is one of the most prestigious high school jazz events in the country. Mount Si has auditioned for it for several years, but only the top 15 bands are chosen to attend the three-day festival and competition. This year’s event is May 8 to 10 at the Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincon Center, and will include workshops, and rehearsals, before performing in front of Wynton Marsalis and a panel of judges in a final competition.
Two other Washington schools Garfield and Roosevelt High Schools in Seattle, will also be attending.
