2002 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Saxophone Competition

Smithsonian Institution’s Baird Auditorium
Washington, DC

First Place: Seamus Blake, Canada
Second Place: John Ellis, North Carolina
Third Place: Marcus Strickland, Florida
Finalists: Aaron Fletcher, Louisiana, and Jaleel Shaw, Pennsylvania

Judges:
Don Braden
George Coleman
Joshua Redman
Wayne Shorter
James Spaudling

The 2002 Competition featured the presentation of the Maria Fisher Founder’s Award to Wayne Shorter

Composers Competition Winner: Jim Robitaille, Massachusetts

Photo (l-r): Winners of the 2002 Competition; Jaleel Shaw, Marcus Strickland, John Ellis, Seamus Blake and Aaron Fletcher