Twenty Arizona high school jazz musicians in eight cities have received scholarships or cash awards from Sedona Jazz on the Rocks.

Seven of the students, from Chino Valley, Deer Valley, Flagstaff, Glendale and Tucson, will attend the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Since 1992, Sedona Jazz on the Rocks has awarded more than 150 Berklee scholarships totaling over $266,000. This year’s scholarships are valued at more than $33,000.

This year, in collaboration with US Airways, SJOR also awarded two $500 scholarships for music lessons to winners of the US Airways “Jazzed About Music” essay contest. Winners were Katrina Miller, of Mesa, who plays violin and piano, and Casey Collins, from Winston-Salem, N.C., who plays the flute.

Students receiving full five-week scholarships to Berklee in Boston are: Bryn Carter [Sinagua High School, Flagstaff, voice]; Austin Cox [Chino Valley High School, Chino Valley, tenor sax]; Brian Hanshaw [Tucson Magnet High School, Tucson, trumpet]; and Jacob Lauxman [Catalina Foothills High School, Tucson, guitar].

Two students have been awarded one-week scholarships to Berklee for percussion studies. They are Morgan Ambrose [Deer Valley High School, Glendale, drums] and Conor Watson [Chino Valley High School, Chino Valley, drums].

Zachary Gillespie, of Deer Valley High School, won a $1,000 Berklee Award to supplement a five-week full-tuition scholarship he won from Berklee. Gillespie plays the trumpet.

Students earning $500 cash awards for excellence and  dedication in jazz performance are: David McVicker [Thunderbird High School, Phoenix, tenor sax]; Christopher Peña [Salpointe Catholic High School, Tucson, piano]; Ben Rachbach [Catalina Foothills High School, Tucson, piano]; Alex Van Slyke [Rincon High School, Tucson, tenor sax]; and Ryan Weddle [Hamilton High School, Chandler, bass].

Students earning $100 cash awards for musicianship and dedication in jazz performance are: Patrick Adams [Prescott High School, Prescott, trumpet]; Calvin Audis [Chino Valley High School, Chino Valley, trombone]; James Brown [Kingman High School, Kingman, trombone]; Stefan Loncar [Kingman High School, Kingman, trumpet]; Hayden Mapel [North High School, Phoenix, trombone]; Dennis Messenger [Prescott High School, Prescott, bass]; and Dominick Rosato [Sabino High School, Tucson, bass].

Berklee accepts teenagers from all over the world into its Summer Performance Programs. The five-week program at the Berklee campus in Boston immerses students in master classes, music theory, private lessons and performance with a faculty of international artists and educators.

Students were selected after a daylong competition of musical auditions and personal interviews. Two judges handled the live auditions, consisting of scales, modes, jazz etudes and a performance piece demonstrating each student’s ability to improvise. A panel of community volunteers interviewed each contender and rated the students on attitude, poise and the ability to articulate their answers.

For information about scholarships, call 282-1985 or visit www.sedonajazz.com.

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