Tucson Jazz Institute horn players at rehearsal.
The Tucson Jazz Institute won the national high school jazz competition in New York City for the third year in the last five over the weekend.
The institute took first place in the 22nd annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, held at New York's Lincoln Center. Musicians from 15 schools from across the country and Cuba competed and performed.
Wynton Marsalis, a renowned jazz trumpet player and director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, presented a trophy and first prize of $5,000 to the Tucson group.
The institute, under direction of Brice Winston, Scott Black and Doug Tidaback, previously took the top prize in 2013 and 2014. It finished second in 2015.
Individual prize winners from the Tucson school included Miranda Agnew, outstanding trumpet; Richie Brennan, outstanding trombone; Andrew Gianetti, outstanding alto saxophone; Brendan Kellman, outstanding tap dancer.
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