Two aspiring young jazz musicians have been handed $1,000 scholarships, bragging rights, and an opportunity to demonstrate their talents during the upcoming Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival.
Each year, organizers of the jazz fest select up-and-coming jazz students for its Rising Jazz Star Award.
This year, the festival – which is coming up July 20 to 23 – expanded the program to offer two awards, one at the secondary school level, and the other at the post-secondary level.
Walnut Grove’s own Ethan Lawrence has been revealed as the post-secondary winner.
The third year Capilano University student is a trumpet player who graduated from Langley Fine Arts School as a music major.
“I’m so grateful to be chosen as the recipient,” Lawrence said, appreciative of the money but moreover the opportunities.
“It means a lot to have the opportunity to share my music alongside this lineup of great musicians and mentors who I have so much respect for. The festival has been incredibly significant in terms of inspiring my love for this music, and I look forward to being a part of that this year,” he said.
He’ll be part of the festival’s opening night jazz concert on Thursday, July 20 at Chief Sepass Theatre that will feature Phil Dwyer’s Connections Quartet, and will open with a performance by the Ethan Lawrence Quartet.
The other young scholarship winner this year is a Grade 11 student out of Vancouver’s Lord Byng Secondary.
Milan Stanga has been playing professionally since the age of 11 and is currently in his high school’s arts band program.
He is a multi-instrumentalist playing the drums, bass, hand percussions, and symphonic percussions, as well as singing.
For five years Milan studied Cuban, Brazilian, and West African music at the School of Groove. He has formed three different bands, all of which perform professionally. Stanga’s band will perform on the festival’s community hall stage on Saturday, July 22, from 10:30 to 11 a.m.
“My dream is to become a professional musician and composer, but for the near future, I want to keep learning and studying as much as I can,” Stanga said.
“This is such an amazing opportunity, and… I’m very excited to be a part of this fantastic event! I look forward to being able to perform for so many lovers of jazz, and for people who are just first finding it. I cannot wait.”
Festival co-founder David Quinn noted the two were picked out of “many jazz students… who underlined the level of young talent on the West Coast.”
“I want to congratulate Milan and Ethan on receiving their awards. Both demonstrate a very high level of performance ability, and we will be watching both pursue their dreams of professional careers in jazz music.”
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