2017 Festival Winners
The Berklee High School Jazz Festival competition is comprised of three competitive categories: Large Ensembles, Combo Ensembles, and Vocal Jazz ensembles. Within each category, classes are determined by school size based upon the enrollments of grades, 10, 11, and 12 (with the lowest number class having the largest school enrollment).
Watch the 2017 Winner Videos
Download the full festival ranking as a PDF
Large Ensemble
Class L1
1st Place:
Princeton High School
Directed by Joe Bongiovi
Play2nd Place:
Mira Costa High School
Directed by Joel Carlson
Play3rd Place:
Arlington High School (NY)
Directed by Rich Guillen
Play4th Place:
Lexington High School
Directed by Pat Donaher
PlayClass L2
1st Place:
West Milford Township High School
Directed by Matt Gramata
Play2nd Place:
Barrington High School
Directed by Barbara Hughes
Play3rd Place:
William H. Hall High School
Directed by James Antonucci
Play4th Place:
Spencerport High School
Directed by John Viavattine
PlayClass L3
1st Place:
Deptford High School
Directed by Carl Cox
Play2nd Place:
South Kingstown High School
Directed by Fritz Benz
Play3rd Place:
Weston High School
Directed by Steven Fasoli
Play4th Place:
RHAM High School
Directed by Nick Kokus
PlayClass L4
1st Place:
Middlebury Union High School
Directed by Anne Severy
Play2nd Place:
Old Rochester Regional High School
Directed by Mike Barnicle
Play3rd Place:
Hampden Academy
Directed by Patrick Michaud
Play4th Place:
Xavier High School (CT)
Directed by Erik Elligers
PlayClass L5
1st Place:
Northwest Catholic High School
Directed by Daniel Luddy
Play2nd Place:
North Smithfield High School
Directed by Metro A. Narcisi, III
Play3rd Place:
Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School
Directed by John Catoliato
Play4th Place:
Mount Desert Island High School
Directed by Michael Remy
PlayClass L6
1st Place:
Escuela Libre de Musica Ernesto Ramos Antonini
Directed by Manuel García
Play2nd Place:
Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy
Directed by Jamal P. Dickerson
Play3rd Place:
Rockport High School
Directed by Anthony Covelli
Play4th Place:
The Rivers School
Directed by Philippe Crettien
PlaySmall Ensemble/Combo
Class S1
1st Place:
Princeton High School
Directed by Joe Bongiovi
Play2nd Place:
Lexington High School
Directed by Pat Donaher
Play3rd Place:
Fox Lane High School
Directed by Joey Berkley
Play4th Place:
Newton South High School
Directed by Ed Harlow
Class S2
1st Place:
Deptford High School
Directed by Carl Cox
Play2nd Place:
John Jay High School
Directed by Jeff Richardson
Play3rd Place:
West Warwick High School
Directed by Matthew Livesey
Play4th Place:
Herricks High School
Directed by Geoffrey Taylor
PlayClass S3
1st Place:
Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches
Directed by Ernie Mills
Play2nd Place:
Hampden Academy
Directed by Andrew Laidman
Play3rd Place:
Pentucket Regional High School
Directed by David Schumacher
Play4th Place:
Ransom Everglades
Directed by Jon Hamm
PlayClass S4
1st Place:
Idyllwild Arts Academy
Directed by Paul Carman
Play2nd Place:
George Stevens Academy
Directed by Steven Orlofsky
Play3rd Place:
Appomattox Regional Governor’s School
Directed by Janes E. Carver, Jr.
Play4th Place:
ACES Educational Center for the Arts
Directed by Jim Martin
PlayVocal Jazz Ensemble
Class V1
1st Place:
Burlington Township High School
Directed by Steven Bishop
Play2nd Place:
Princeton High School
Directed by Joe Bongiovi
Play3rd Place:
Hopewell Valley Central High School
Directed by Randy White
Play4th Place:
West Milford Township High School
Directed by Doug Heyburn
PlayClass V2
1st Place:
Griswold High School
Directed by Ray Churchill
Play2nd Place:
Foxborough High School
Directed by Brian Raymond
Play3rd Place:
Woodstock Academy
Directed by Amy Ranta
Play4th Place:
Stoughton High School
Directed by Christopher Nickelson-Mann
PlayClass V3
1st Place:
Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School
Directed by Kelley Morse
Play2nd Place:
Portsmouth Abbey School
Directed by Jeffrey Kerr
Play3rd Place:
Trinity School
Directed by Sarah Bonsignore
Play4th Place:
Friends Seminary
Directed by Kristin Marchilena
PlaySolo Singer
Class SS
1st Place:
Rockport High School
Kiva Trumbour
Play2nd Place:
Princeton High School
Maisie Ryle
Play3rd Place:
Saddle River Day School
Solomon Frey
PlaySuperior and Outstanding Musicianship Awards
Class L1
Superior Musicianship
Maria Kusior, Arlington High School (NY)
Outstanding Musicianship
Hwang, Simon, Princeton High School
Jesse Eads, Mira Costa High School
Jules Gillam, Mira Costa High School
Class L2
Superior Musicianship
Adam Cordero, Herricks High School
Outstanding Musicianship
Nicole Wiedenmann, Lyman Hall High School
Elijah Atkins, Maloney High School
Haley Amering, Spencerport High School
Class L3
Superior Musicianship
Jacob Cuevas, Deptford High School
Outstanding Musicianship
Caleb Cronan, West Warwick High School
David Graham, Deptford High School
Santino D’Agostino, Deptford High School
Class L4
Superior Musicianship
Bailey Giles, Hampden Academy
Outstanding Musicianship
Kevin Ryff, Xavier High School (CT)
Maxx Meether, Hampden Academy
David Connell, East Bridgewater Jr. Sr. High School
Class L5
Superior Musicianship
Ethan Kinniebrew, Burlington City High School
Outstanding Musicianship
Sarah Jessen, Northwest Catholic High School
Alec Drzeweicki, Cromwell High School
Peter Hoerenz, Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School
Class L6
Superior Musicianship
Lily Velekamp, Saddle River Day School
Outstanding Musicianship
Chadrick Brown, Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music
Clara Mazo, Rockport High School
Caleb Jackson, ACES Educational Center for the Arts
Class S1
Superior Musicianship
Gabe Bar-Cohen, Princeton High School
Outstanding Musicianship
Harrison Tsui, Princeton High School
Jonah Rubin, Princeton High School
Marcello Carelli, Fox Lane High School
Class S2
Superior Musicianship
Shane Fanning, Deptford High School
Outstanding Musicianship
Neal LaPolla, John Jay High School
Odin Scherer, John Jay High School
Pete Duke, Milton Academy
Class S3
Superior Musicianship
Ari Wells, Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches
Outstanding Musicianship
Peter Hoerenz, Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School
Jake Baynes, Pentucket Regional High School
Bailey Giles, Hampden Academy
Class S4
Superior Musicianship
Owen Zorn, Idyllwild Arts Academy
Outstanding Musicianship
Yvonne Rogers, George Stevens Academy
Joseph Boulet, George Stevens Academy
Sumi Onoe, Idyllwild Arts Academy
Class V1
Superior Musicianship
Gian Lombardo, Hopewell Valley Central High School
Outstanding Musicianship
Ehren Valmé, Burlington Township High School
Gillian Scott, Princeton High School
Aidan Devine, Newton North High School
Class V2
Superior Musicianship
Devin Mitchell, Griswold High School
Outstanding Musicianship
Deanna Weed, Griswold High School
Molly Crocker, Foxborough High School
Olivia Pappas, Woodstock Academy
Class V3
Superior Musicianship
Indigo Passariello, Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School
Outstanding Musicianship
Bella D’Ottavio, Haddam-Killingworth High School
Ciara Neidlinger, Fryeburg Academy
David Rothstein, Friends Seminary