Special Tributes to Honorees Dianne Reeves & Frank Gehry with Herbie Hancock, Joe Lovano, Somi, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ambrose Akinmusire, Terri Lyne Carrington, Lizz Wright, Many More

New York, NY – The 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition and All-Star Gala Concert came to an exciting conclusion following the announcement of Jahari Stampley, age 24, of Chicago, Illinois as first place winner of the Competition.

Presented by the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, the world’s preeminent jazz education organization, in association with the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), the Competition awarded major scholarships and prizes including a $50,000 first place award. World-renowned pianists Bill Charlap, Orrin Evans, Herbie Hancock, Hiromi and Danilo Pérez served as the Competition judges.

The October 15th event at PAC NYC on the historic World Trade Center campus featured a star-studded Gala Concert. The Institute presented its Maria Fisher Founder’s Award to five-time GRAMMY-winning jazz vocalist and educator Dianne Reeves, who has played a vital role in the Institute’s mission for nearly three decades. Visionary architect Frank Gehry was honored with the Institute’s Herbie Hancock Humanitarian Award for his commitment to arts education, notably jazz and classical music training for young people. The evening featured stellar performances by a diverse group of all-stars including Musical Director John Beasley, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lizz Wright, Anat Cohen, Romero Lubambo, Jean Baylor, Joe Lovano, Hélène Mercier, Somi, Ambrose Akinmusire and Ben Williams.

First place winner Jahari Stampley captivated the audience with his performances of  “Prelude Entrance” and “After The Morning.”  Second place winner Connor Rohrer,  Age 23,  of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania performed “Someplace Called Where” and “Matrix,” and third place winner Paul Cornish, Age 26, of Houston, Texas performed “Intrepid Fox” and “Come Sunday.”   They were among the 11 outstanding, young pianists from around the world who competed a day earlier in the Competition Semifinals at PAC NYC. Bassist Richie Goods and drummer Carl Allen accompanied each competitor.

The Gala opened with multi-GRAMMY and Tony Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater performing Chick Corea’s “Spain” with an all-star ensemble. Later in the evening, the Institute shined a spotlight on some of the top young jazz musicians across the country. The Institute’s National Peer-to-Peer High School All-Star Jazz Sextet performed Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” alongside vocalist and former Institute Competition winner Lisa Henry. Among the nation’s most accomplished young jazz musicians, these students train with Institute teaching artists at public performing arts high schools nationwide. U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona, who hosts an Institute Peer-to-Peer performance at the Department of Education each year, made remarks about the importance of music education in the schools.

The evening also showcased the Herbie Hancock Institute Ensemble performing Herbie Hancock’s “Actual Proof.” These gifted musicians from around the world receive full scholarships to attend the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance, the Institute’s prestigious master’s degree program at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in Los Angeles. The students, who represent the next generation of jazz artists, study for two years with world-renowned jazz musicians, composers and educators.

Multi-GRAMMY Award-winning bassist, singer and composer Esperanza Spalding honored Frank Gehry with the Institute’s Herbie Hancock Humanitarian Award. She highlighted his renowned architectural achievements and his devotion to helping others – from volunteering in public schools and supporting the Turnaround Arts initiative for at-risk youth to serving on the Institute’s Board of Trustees and taking an active role in its jazz education programs. Piano virtuoso Hélène Mercier of Paris and piano prodigy A Bu of Beijing performed a stunning rendition of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” fusing jazz and classical influences. Herbie Hancock, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joe Lovano, Ben Williams and Terri Lyne Carrington then performed “Speak No Evil” by the late Wayne Shorter, Gehry’s close friend and creative collaborator.

To honor Dianne Reeves, acclaimed actor Delroy Lindo shared the story of how Reeves found her passion early on through music, as a member of her high school big band. She went on to tour with Sergio Mendes and Harry Belafonte, release a series of chart-topping albums, earn five GRAMMY Awards and make a profound impact on jazz and her millions of fans. The evening’s special guests, including vocalists Somi, Jean Baylor, Michael Mayo and Lizz Wright, paid tribute to Reeves by performing three of her songs: the powerful, percussive “Endangered Species,” the gorgeous ballad “Bridges,” and the gospel-tinged “Today Will Be a Good Day.” After accepting the Maria Fisher Founder’s Award from Institute Chairman Herbie Hancock, Reeves graced the stage with a riveting performance of “You Taught My Heart to Sing.”

Proceeds from the All-Star Gala Concert will support the Institute’s public school education programs in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, DC and many other cities across the nation. All of the Institute’s education programs are provided free of charge, with an emphasis on serving economically disadvantaged public school students and their teachers and parents.

Air transportation was provided by United Airlines, Official Airline of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.

Competition Festivities at Perelman Performing Arts Center Include All-Star Gala Concert Honoring Renowned Jazz Vocalist Dianne Reeves and Visionary Architect Frank Gehry

Washington, D.C. — Eleven outstanding young jazz pianists from around the world will compete in the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition October 14-15 presented in association with the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) on the historic World Trade Center campus.

The semifinalists are: Alan Bartuš of Lučenec, Slovakia; Joe Block of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Caelan Cardello of Teaneck, New Jersey; Esteban Castro of Hackensack, New Jersey; Paul Cornish of Houston, Texas; Brandon Goldberg of Miami, Florida; Connor Rohrer of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; Dabin Ryu of Seoul, South Korea; Jahari Stampley of Chicago, Illinois; Jordan Isaiah Williams of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Jenny Xu of Surrey and Vancouver, British Columbia.

These aspiring musicians will compete in the Semifinals on Saturday, October 14 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at PAC NYC. The semifinalists will perform before an all-star judging panel of internationally acclaimed jazz pianists including Bill Charlap, Orrin Evans, Herbie Hancock, Hiromi and Danilo Pérez. Each semifinalist will perform for 15 minutes accompanied by a stellar rhythm section featuring bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Carl Allen.

From this group, the judges will select three finalists to perform in the Competition Finals on Sunday evening, October 15. At stake is more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes, including a $50,000 first place award, $25,000 second place award, and $10,000 third place award. The evening will culminate with an All-Star Gala Concert featuring performances by artists including Ambrose Akinmusire, Jean Baylor, John Beasley (Musical Director), Dee Dee Bridgewater, A Bu, Terri Lyne Carrington, Anat Cohen, Joe Lovano, Romero Lubambo, Michael Mayo, Somi, Helen Sung, Ben Williams, and Lizz Wright among others. The Institute will present its Maria Fisher Founder’s Award to five-time GRAMMY Award-winning jazz vocalist and educator Dianne Reeves. Internationally celebrated architect Frank Gehry will receive the Institute’s Herbie Hancock Humanitarian Award for his commitment to arts education, especially jazz and classical music training for young people.

Proceeds from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition and All-Star Gala Concert will support the Institute’s free, year-round jazz education programs, which serve students from under-resourced public schools across the United States and around the world.

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition Semifinals
Saturday, October 14, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
PAC NYC, 251 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10007

Seats for the Semifinals are free of charge but limited, as space allows. Walk-up guests are welcome to check-in at the Audience Services desk for admission.

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition Finals and All-Star Gala Concert
Sunday, October 15 at 6 p.m.
PAC NYC, 251 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10007

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition is presented in association with PAC NYC. Tickets are $59 to $149 and may be purchased via the PAC NYC website at www.pacnyc.org.

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2023 Competition Semifinalist Bios

Alan Bartuš was born in Lučenec, Slovakia and studied jazz piano at Musik und Kunst University in Vienna, Austria. He went on to win an instrumental performance award at the Slovak Jazz Competition and has since performed with his trio at Bratislava Jazz Days Festival, Top Jazz Fest, Jazz Fest Trencin and Liptov Jazz Fest. Bartuš won the prestigious Austrian Ö1 Jazz Prize and attended the Manhattan School of Music. He has toured and recorded with saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, and collaborated with Tim Armacost and Peter Erskine. Most recently, Bartuš won the 2023 Artedea Jazz Competition in Austria.

Joe Block is a pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator and musical director who was born and raised in Philadelphia. He studied at the Juilliard School and Columbia University. Block has performed and toured with Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Chris Potter, Alvin Ailey Dance Company and Leslie Odom, Jr. He arranges and composes for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis Septet, Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia. Block is the musical director and pianist for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Future of Jazz Orchestra. He regularly performs with his own trio and quintet.

Caelan Cardello of Teaneck, New Jersey has been playing piano since age 5 and began performing professionally at age 16. As a Jazz House Kids student for seven years, he learned from the greatest jazz mentors and performed at Dizzy’s Club and the Montclair Jazz Festival. Cardello has performed with Christian McBride, Joe Farnsworth, Jimmy Cobb, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Rufus Reid. He was one of five finalists selected for the 2023 American Pianists Awards jazz competition. Cardello received his bachelor’s degree in jazz performance from William Paterson University and is now earning his master’s degree at the Juilliard School.

Esteban Castro of Hackensack, New Jersey was the youngest winner of the Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition and the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition. A senior on full scholarship at the Juilliard School, he has received three ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards and was a 2023 American Pianists Awards finalist. Castro has played with Billy Drummond, Billy Hart, Joe Lovano, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, Mark Whitfield and many other jazz greats. He has performed at the Blue Note, NPR Tiny Desk, Birdland, Dizzy’s Club, The Jazz Gallery, NJPAC, Smalls, The Black Cat, Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall.

Paul Cornish hails from Houston, where he studied at the prestigious High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He was one of seven students worldwide selected to attend the jazz performance master’s degree program at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz at UCLA. Cornish received the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s 2020 New Note Commission and was awarded first place in the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition. He also received the grand prize in the 2018 American Jazz Piano Competition. Cornish has performed worldwide with notable artists including Joshua Redman, Louis Cole, Theo Croker, Snoh Aalegra, Terrace Martin, Thumpasaurus and HAIM.

Brandon Goldberg of Miami began playing piano at age 3. At a young age, he was featured on national television in Little Big Shots, The Steve Harvey Show and Harry, hosted by Harry Connick, Jr. Goldberg has performed at the Newport, Litchfield, SFJAZZ, Twin Cities and Caramoor jazz festivals and appeared at Dizzy’s Club, Birdland, the Blue Note and the Apollo Theater. A 2022 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer awardee, he was commissioned to write two compositions performed by the Miami Symphony Orchestra. Goldberg has released two albums, both earning four-star reviews from DownBeat and being named Top Albums of the year.

Connor Rohrer of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania has been a member of the DownBeat Award-winning Teen Town jazz fusion trio since 2015. He received his bachelor’s degree from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in music theory and composition. He also serves as the teaching assistant for the university’s jazz piano department. Rohrer frequently performs with two-time GRAMMY winner Samara Joy. In addition to his performance abilities, he has developed his skills in composition, transcription/notation, analysis and pedagogy.

Dabin Ryu is an award-winning jazz pianist from Seoul, South Korea. Ryu received a bachelor’s degree in jazz performance and jazz composition from the Berklee College of Music and a master’s degree in jazz studies from the Manhattan School of Music. She now attends the Juilliard School’s Artist Diploma program. Ryu has performed with world-renowned artists including Kurt Elling, Billy Harper, Rodney Jones, Ralph Peterson and Neal Smith, and appeared at top venues including Blues Alley, Dizzy’s Club, Harlem Stage, Scullers, Smalls and Zinc Bar. An accomplished bandleader and composer, she has led international tours.

Jahari Stampley of Chicago is a National YoungArts Competition winner who has toured with Stanley Clarke and is featured on Derrick Hodge’s Color of Noise album. He has performed at leading venues including Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, SFJAZZ and The Met Philadelphia, and headlined and performed solo piano tours in Germany and Switzerland. Stampley is the bandleader and pianist for the feature film Spinning Gold. He won the Bösendorfer prize at the 2019 American Pianists Awards jazz competition. Stampley created all of the animation, art and music for his first music app, Piano Chronicles.

Jordan Isaiah Williams is an internationally recognized pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who has toured the U.S. and internationally with Bobby Watson, Curtis Lundy, Camille Thurman, the Darrell Green Quartet and Isaiah Collier. He performs regularly with Philip Harper, Winard Harper, Duane Eubanks, Ruben Fox, Taru Alexander, Corey Wallace and many others. Originally from Philadelphia, Williams began his classical and jazz piano instruction at age 7 at the Settlement Music School and the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and the Performing Arts. Recently, he performed at the 2023 Newport Jazz Festival as part of The Bobby Watson All-Star Quintet.

Jenny Xu is a pianist from Surrey and Vancouver, British Columbia who received her bachelor’s degree in music performance from the Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship. She earned her master’s degree in jazz piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where she held the piano chair in the Latin GRAMMY-nominated Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra and worked closely with Paquito D’Rivera and Irakere. Xu has performed at more than a dozen festivals and shared the stage with artists including Candido Camero, George Garzone, Eddie Gomez, Ingrid Jensen, Dave Liebman, Harold Mabern Arturo O’Farrill, New York Voices, Kendrick Scott and Buster Williams.

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Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition

Formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Competition, the Hancock Institute Competition is recognized as the world’s most prestigious jazz competition and for discovering the next generation of jazz masters, including saxophonist Joshua Redman; vocalists Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jane Monheit, Gretchen Parlato and Jazzmeia Horn; pianist Kris Bowers; bassist Ben Williams; and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, among others. Major scholarships and prizes are awarded to the talented young musicians participating in the Competition. The scholarships help pay tuition for college-level jazz education studies and provide funds for private, specialized instruction. hancockinstitute.org/competition/

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a nonprofit education organization offering the world’s most promising young musicians college level training by internationally acclaimed jazz masters and presenting public school music education programs for young people around the world. The Institute preserves, perpetuates and expands jazz as a global art form, and utilizes jazz as a means to unite people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. All of the Institute’s programs are provided free of charge. hancockinstitute.org

Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC)

Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) is the cultural cornerstone and final public element of the World Trade Center site. Led by Board Chair Mike Bloomberg, Executive Director Khady Kamara, and Artistic Director Bill Rauch, the new performing arts center in Lower Manhattan is a dynamic home for the arts, serving audiences and creators through flexible venues enabling the facility to embrace wide-ranging artistic programs. The PAC NYC Inaugural Season will feature commissions, World Premieres, co-productions, and collaborative work across theater, dance, music, opera, film, and more. pacnyc.org

All-Star Gala Concert to Honor Renowned Jazz Vocalist Dianne Reeves and Visionary Architect and Jazz Aficionado Frank Gehry

Washington, D.C — Outstanding young jazz pianists from around the world will compete in the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition on October 14-15 in New York City, presented in association with the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC). The 2023 Competition will be a premier feature of the inaugural season of PAC NYC, located on the historic World Trade Center campus, adjacent to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. The 2023 Competition weekend will include a highly anticipated Semifinals round on October 14 at 1:00 p.m., followed by the Competition Finals and a spectacular All-Star Gala Concert on the evening of October 15. The All-Star Gala Concert will honor Dianne Reeves and Frank Gehry.

Open to musicians age 30 and under from across the globe, this year’s Competition will shine a spotlight on the piano. At stake is more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes, including a $50,000 first place award, $25,000 second place, and $10,000 third place.

The semifinalists will perform on Saturday afternoon before an all-star judging panel of internationally acclaimed jazz pianists including Bill Charlap, Herbie Hancock, Hiromi and Danilo Pérez, with more to be announced.  Each semifinalist will perform for 15 minutes accompanied by a stellar rhythm section featuring Carl Allen on drums and Rodney Whitaker on bass. The Semifinals will be free and open to the public; details on ticket distribution will be announced at a later date.

From this group, the judges will select three finalists to perform in the Competition Finals at the Perelman PAC on Sunday evening. The festivities will culminate with an All-Star Gala Concert featuring performances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terri Lyne Carrington, Dianne Reeves, Somi, Joe Lovano, John Beasley, Romero Lubambo, Ben Williams and many others.

The Institute will present its Maria Fisher Founder’s Award to multi-GRAMMY Award-winning jazz vocalist and educator Dianne Reeves. The Institute’s Herbie Hancock Humanitarian Award will be given to globally-acclaimed architect Frank Gehry for his steadfast commitment to arts education, especially jazz and classical music training for young people. Past honorees have included Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Bill Clinton, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Benson and Terence Blanchard.

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition plays a pivotal role in identifying, empowering and promoting the next generation of jazz musicians, educators and influencers. The Institute’s Competition has launched the careers of major jazz artists including saxophonist Joshua Redman and Melissa Aldana; vocalists Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jane Monheit, Jazzmeia Horn and Gretchen Parlato; pianist Kris Bowers; bassist Ben Williams; and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. These artists and dozens more from past Competitions have forged successful careers as performing and recording artists, as well as music educators helping to perpetuate America’s legacy of jazz.

The application for the 2023 Piano Competition can be found online at hancockinstitute.org/competition. All materials must be received no later than Monday, July 31, 2023.

Proceeds from the event will support the Herbie Hancock Institute’s free, year-round jazz education programs, which target underserved public schools across the United States and around the world.

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Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition

Formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Competition, the Hancock Institute Competition is recognized as the world’s most prestigious jazz competition and for discovering the next generation of jazz masters. Each year, major scholarships and prizes are awarded to the talented young musicians participating in the Competition. The scholarships help pay tuition for college-level jazz education studies and provide funds for private, specialized instruction. 

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a nonprofit education organization offering the world’s most promising young musicians college level training by internationally acclaimed jazz masters and presenting public school music education programs for young people around the world. The Institute preserves, perpetuates and expands jazz as a global art form, and utilizes jazz as a means to unite people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. All of the Institute’s education programs are provided free of charge.

Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC)

Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) at the World Trade Center was conceived as the cultural keystone in the 2003 plan for the rebuilt 16-acre World Trade Center site. As a global hub for creativity, the PAC will create connections between artists and audiences from across New York City and around the world through music, theater, dance, opera, film, and other events and experiences, demonstrating the power of the arts to inspire and unite.  Designed by Joshua Ramus and his firm REX, in collaboration with theater consultant Charcoalblue and Executive Architect Davis Brody Bond, the building’s 129,000-square-foot “mystery box” houses three immensely flexible theaters that can be combined and reconfigured to accommodate artistic creativity, innovation, and invention and engage audiences with surprising new experiences at every visit. 

Competition Festivities Include All-Star Gala Concert Honoring
Renowned Trumpeter/Composer Terence Blanchard

Washington, D.C. —Twelve outstanding young jazz guitarists from around the world have been selected to compete in the 2019 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Guitar Competition on December 2-3 in Washington, D.C.

The semifinalists are: Cecil Alexander of Muskegon, Michigan; Joseph Bell of Princeton, New Jersey; Will Brahm of Portland, Oregon; François Chanvallon of Paris, France; Lucian Gray of Toronto, Canada; Max Light of Bethesda, Maryland; Armen Movsesyan of Los Angeles, California; Evgeny Pobozhiy of Seversk, Russia; Matt Sewell of St. Louis, Missouri; Juan Vidaurre of Caracas, Venezuela; Tal Yahalom of Jerusalem, Israel; and Francesco Zampini of Rome, Italy.

These aspiring jazz musicians will compete in the Semifinals round, taking place on Monday, December 2nd, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. The semifinalists will perform before an all-star judging panel of internationally acclaimed jazz guitarists: Stanley Jordan, Lionel Loueke, Russell Malone, Pat Metheny, Chico Pinheiro, Lee Ritenour and John Scofield. Each semifinalist will perform for 15 minutes accompanied by a stellar rhythm section featuring pianist Reggie Thomas, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and drummer Carl Allen.

From this group, the judges will select three finalists to perform in the Competition Finals at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday evening, December 3rd. At stake is more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes, including a $30,000 first place scholarship and guaranteed recording contract with Concord Music Group; a $15,000 second place scholarship; and a $10,000 third place scholarship. The evening will culminate with an All-Star Gala Concert featuring performances by Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lizz Wright, Bobby Watson, Musical Director John Beasley, Emmy Award-winning actor and vocalist Keith David and many other jazz greats. The Institute will present its Maria Fisher Founder’s Award to multi-GRAMMY Award-winning trumpeter, composer and educator Terence Blanchard. Many of his former Institute students, including recording artists Gretchen Parlato, Walter Smith III, Dayna Stephens and others leading the next generation of major jazz artists, will take the stage to pay tribute to Blanchard.

Proceeds from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Guitar Competition and All-Star Gala Concert will support the Institute’s public school education programs in Washington D.C., Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Newark, San Francisco and the Mississippi Delta.

Event and ticket information
Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Guitar Competition Semifinals
Monday, December 2nd at 12 noon with ticket distribution at 11:00 a.m.
Rasmuson Theater at the National Museum of the American Indian
4^thSt. & Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C.

Tickets for the Semifinals are free of charge but limited, and will be distributed by the Smithsonian Associates at the National Museum of the American Indian on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 11:00 a.m. 

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Guitar Competition Finals and All-Star Gala Concert
Tuesday, December 3rd at 7:30 p.m.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater
2700 F St., NW, Washington, D.C.

Tickets are $35 to $125 and may be purchased via the Kennedy Center box office in person, by calling 800.444.1324, or online at www.kennedy-center.org. Information regarding VIP packages, which include a post-event VIP Cast Party, is available from the Institute at 202.364.7272.  

Applications due October 11, 2019

NOTE: The application deadline for the 2019 Guitar Competition has now passed. Applicants will be notified of the results of the preliminary judging by November 8, 2019.

Washington, D.C —The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition will be presented on December 2-3 in Washington, D.C. Open to musicians age 30 and under from across the globe, this year’s competition will shine a spotlight on the guitar.

For over three decades, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Competition played a pivotal role in identifying and empowering the next generation of jazz musicians, educators, and influencers. Building upon this important legacy, the newly minted Hancock Institute Competition represents a changing of the guard for one of the jazz world’s most renowned institutions.

The Semifinals of the 2019 Guitar Competition will be held on Monday, December 2nd, from noon to 5:00 p.m. at the National Museum of the American Indian. The semifinalists will compete before an all-star panel of judges including jazz guitarists Stanley Jordan, Russell Malone, Pat Metheny, Chico Pinheiro, Lee Ritenour and John Scofield. Each semifinalist will perform for 15 minutes accompanied by a professional rhythm section.

From this group, the judges will select three finalists who will perform in the final round at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday evening, December 3rd. At stake is more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes, including a $30,000 first place scholarship and guaranteed recording contract with Concord Music Group; a $15,000 second place scholarship; and a $10,000 third place scholarship.

According to Institute Chairman Herbie Hancock, whose career epitomizes the ideals of the jazz tradition and innovation, “We look forward to discovering and hearing from the next generation of young jazz guitarists, with their innovative styles and unique approach to the music. We are particularly excited to pay homage to the guitar, which has a rich and colorful history that continues to play a pivotal role in the development of jazz. I have no doubt that this year’s Competition will show that the future of this instrument, and of our music, is in good hands.”

Tickets

Tickets to the December 3 Competition Finals at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts may be purchased online.

Tax-deductible Gala packages are available for purchase, for premium seating and other benefits. Click here to view available packages.

Tickets to the December 2 semifinals at the National Museum of the American Indian are free and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 11 am.

Download the full press release here.

Editors: contact Alisse Kingsley
akingsley@hancockinstitute.org
323.467.8508