DATELINE WASHINGTON, DC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

It is with a profound sense of privilege and pleasure that we have the honor of announcing the 9th annual Ella Fitzgerald Competition five (5) finalists. These five finalists were selected from dozens of submissions, and from emerging artists across North America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe. These finalists were adjudicated based upon their style, their musicality, and their technical skills. Each registrant recorded three (3) song selections, from the George and Ira Gershwin repertoire song list, and are a continuation of our tribute to the Great American Songbook. Our five finalists are as follows:


·     Gabriela Allemana (Chicago, Illinois)

·     Lily Alter (Oak Park, Illinois)

·     Ava Preston (Cleveland, Ohio)

·     Emily Davies (Buffalo, New York)

·     Kyra Cioffi (Rutherford, New Jersey)


This year’s adjudicators were Nnenna Freelon and Sachal Vasandani. Ms. Freelon describes herself as a jazz singer, a storyteller, and a grief sojourner. She is a celebrated vocalist, a composer, a producer, and a 7-time GRAMMY award nominee. Sachal Vasandani is a renowned vocalist, lyricist, and composer. His deeply creative approach to improvisation across lyrics, melodic changes, and time signatures is always soulful, and he has come to be regarded as one of the eminent vocal improvisers of his generation.


Together these two educators arrived at the difficult decision to identify this year’s five emerging talents as the next generation of Ella Fitzgerald vocal descendants. These five finalists exemplify the talent and abilities transcendent in the musical genre of jazz. The winner will perform on Saturday, April 25th at Blues Alley in honor of our namesake’s 109th birthday. The winner will receive an honorarium of $2,500.00, the second place winner will receive an honorarium of $1,000.00, and the three third-place winners will each receive an honorarium of $500.00. The performance will be a live broadcast and the winner will accompany Sachal Vasandani with her Gershwin song selections.