Hall High Jazz Band Makes History at Essentially Ellington

0:00It's April 7th. I'm Corey with The Story. This is Hartford News Today, driven by AI. The William H. Hall High School Concert Jazz Band just earned a spot in jazz at Lincoln Center's essentially Ellington Competition for the 15th. Time. Heading to New York City at the end of this month. Out of 120 bands from around the world, they're one of the top 20 selected after submitting three audition tracks focused on Duke, Ellington's Music. This marks the first back-to-back qualification in 10 years, and it's only band-directed Philip Gampeatro's second year leading them. Finals last year too. Hall's jazz program dates back to 1958. One of the oldest in the country, started by William Stanley, who integrated jazz into the daily curriculum early on. Students are buzzing with excitement, like senior alto sax player Quinn Knox, 18, who won the 2026 Dr. J. Douglas White Composition. Contest without even taking a class yet, he's eyeing music as a career.

1:01Pianist Julia Wickless, 17, calls the program non-stop fun and can't wait to compete as a senior, even if college jazz is her next stop, not. Pro. Knox says the whole band was locked in this year, making it rewarding, and it's rare for a composition winner to be from a competing band like this. Hall snagged first place back in 1998 and 2000, and alumni include Alexa Tarantino, the only woman in the jazz at Lincoln, center orchestra. Would Jean Pietro's fresh energy pushing these young musicians to shine globally? Hall's jazz legacy keeps dropping beats that echo far beyond the classroom.