Musicians show polish in the Big Apple

WINNING COMBINATION- Nicole Saphos, left, joins music teacher Chad Bloom and fellow student Mor Frankie at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Bands awards earlier this month in New York City. Saphos won Outstanding Bass and Frankie won Outstanding Trumpet honors at the prestigious national high school music festival. The girls are members of Agoura High's Jazz Band. Agoura High School students Mor Frankie and Nicole Saphos received recognition for Outstanding Trumpet and Outstanding Bass at the 13th annual Essentially Ellington Jazz Band Competition earlier this month in New York.

Agoura was one of 15 U.S. high schools to qualify for the annual high school music competition.

Eighty-two bands entered the competition by submitting a recorded performance of three Duke Ellington compositions.

During the awards ceremony at New York's Lincoln Center, famed jazz peformer Wynton Marsalis presented prizes and cash awards to each of the 15 finalist bands. Roosevelt High in Seattle, Wash. won first place.

Throughout March and April, the festival organizers sent a professional musician to each of the finalist high schools to conduct a free, daylong workshop that consisted of lessons and rehearsals.

In New York, Frankie and Saphos peformed with the Agoura High Jazz A Band under the leadership of Chad Bloom.

The three-day festival ran from May 15-17 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Honors were announced during a final concert and awards ceremony at Avery Fisher Hall.