On Friday, April 30, the Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble will perform the winning pieces from the 2020-2021 David P. (’60) and Susan W. Wohlhueter Jazz Composition Contest in Ford Hall at 8:15 p.m.
Up to 70 students will be able to attend the event in person, while others will be able to livestream the performance.
The grand prize was won by Ivan Bozicevic, a composer, organist, pianist and arranger from Solin, Croatia, for his piece “Salbunada.” Second prize was awarded to Chandler D. Comer, a trumpeter and composer from Centreville, Virginia, for his piece “Quatch.” Drew Zaremba, a saxophonist and composer currently on faculty at the University of Northern Colorado, took home third prize for his piece “Phat N’Happy.”
“The number of entrants this year is amazing, and especially the fact that they come from 22 different countries. This definitely shows that the love of jazz is worldwide. We’re just proud to be a part of it.”
David Wohlhueter ‘60
The jazz composition contest was established through the generosity of David Wohlhueter ‘60, a former sports information director at IC, and his wife, Susan. This year, there were a total of 122 pieces submitted from across the country and globe.
“Jazz has been a very important part of my life, and certainly the Ithaca College jazz program ranks right up there with the best,” he said. “The number of entrants this year is amazing, and especially the fact that they come from 22 different countries. This definitely shows that the love of jazz is worldwide. We’re just proud to be a part of it.”
In addition to the three prize-winning pieces, the concert will feature the final projects from the six students in the Jazz Arranging II class: August Bish ’21, Steven Bluestein ’21, Theo Curtin ’21, Alice DeRagon ’22, Ava Gallo ’22, and Jacob Graham ’21.