The top prize at the Port of Tauranga Youth Jazz Competition was won by the Augmented Trio, an Auckland-based quartet from the New Zealand School of Music.
More than 200 young musicians gathered in Tauranga to showcase their talents in front of three judges led by Dr Roger Fox. “There were many magical moments during the 2 day competition and we applaud the talent that was displayed by many competing musicians” says Dr Fox. “Augmented Trio was outstanding as a band and Alex Churchill amazed us with his skill.”Saxophonist Alex Churchill, the leader of the Augmented Trio, also won the award for Most Outstanding Young Musician. Another stand-out competitor was Matt Steele from Hutt Valley High School who walked away with three awards for Best Original Composition, Most Outstanding Pianist and the Award for Innovation.
The competition was tight in the race for the highly sought after prize for the country’s Best Big Band which was won by the Wellington College Big Band.
Port of Tauranga Chief Executive Mark Cairns was in awe of the size and talent of the competitor field, “Supporting youth is a key element in our philosophy of supporting our community. We are proud to be the sponsor of this competition which is an outstanding event for New Zealand’s young jazz musicians.”
The Port of Tauranga Youth Jazz Competition is part of the National Jazz Festival and during its 32 year long history has seen the discovery of some of the country’s best jazz musicians including saxophonist Nathan Haines, vocalist Hollie Smith and Jazz Tui award winner pianist Charmaine Ford.