WINNER OF THE ELLA FITZGERALD JAZZ VOCAL COMPETITION
Washington, DC (April 2024)
The Blues Alley Jazz Society is pleased to announce the winner of the 7th annual Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition – Dani Assis (New Canaan,CT). 2nd Place Winner is Aviana Gedler (West Des Moines, IA), and 3rd Place Winners are Angelina Kolobukhova (Minsk, Belarus), Arvin Ma (Shanghai, China), and Tina Hashemi (Charlottesville, VA). The competition included some of the most musically versatile student vocalists from around the globe and has attracted submissions from continents and countries as expansive as the “First Lady of Song’s” enormous repertoire from her past century of music. This year’s submissions hail from countries as culturally diverse as China, Belarus, Canada, Germany, Mexico, and across the United States of America. Founded in partnership with the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, to honor the centennial of Ms. Fitzgerald’s birth, the competition has grown exponentially as we continue to pursue her inimitable legacy.
The competition’s theme this year is “Ella Loves Cole” featuring songs from the great Cole Porter. Cole Porter’s name resonates as one of the defining song stylists of the 20th century. Many of his compositions have been recognized as unforgettable jazz standards. This year’s judges were the members of the New York Voices - Peter Eldridge, Lauren Kinhan, Darmon Meader, and Kim Nazarian. The judges rated our five finalists based upon style, musicality, and technical skills to determine our winner.
The life and legacy of Ella Fitzgerald is so immense and expansive that it encircles the globe. She was born in 1917 and the competition was launched one hundred years later to honor the centennial of her birth. Ms. Fitzgerald’s life has transcended race, poverty, culture, gender, class, and creativity. She was an award-winning vocalist, musician, bandleader, spokesperson, actress, and humanitarian. Each aspect of her eight decades has defied the odds and reflects the compassion she brought to people around the world. She is a 14-time GRAMMY award winner, the recipient of the National Medal of the Arts, and the NAACP’s President’s Award. All told she has recorded over 200 albums worth over 40 million dollars ($40,000,000.00). Despite time and distance, the name Ella Fitzgerald continues to resonate throughout the four corners of the globe which is why we continue to honor her today.
Registration for the 2025 Ella Fitzgerald Competition will begin
on November 1, 2024.
Please sign up on our mailing list and get further details at
www.EllaFitzgeraldCompetition.org
