The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) Jazz Orchestra and Charles Mingus Combo received top prizes at the 12th Annual Charles Mingus Festival & High School Competition, February 14-17 at The New School of Jazz and Jazz Standard in New York City. The two ensembles were awarded the Mingus Spirit Award, Best Trombone Section, and included in the awards were three Outstanding Soloist awards: Ben Collins-Siegel, piano; Ryoma Takenaga, bass; and Koleby Royston, drums, who were asked to sit in with the Mingus Big Band at the Jazz Standard.
These three talented young musicians are the featured Rising Stars in the May-June issue of Jersey Jazz Magazine. View the full issue here. Download the article here.