Javier Santiago, Joel Friedman and Kevin Kay © Andrea Canter

Open to students ages 15 through 18, the competition rewards excellence among students of America's great indigenous art form. The first three scholarships were awarded in 2005. This spring, a record number thirteen students submitted audio tapes or CDs of their performance of three tunes each; a panel of judges blindly reviewed the submissions and selected three students as winners of three $500 scholarships. The three finalists will also appear on the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education Stage at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival in June, and selected finalists will be invited to perform at the Dakota and as part of the Schubert Club’s Courtroom Concert series in St. Paul next year.

The Judges

Jeanne Arland Peterson, Chris Lomheim and Karen Pieper © Andra Canter

The Finalists

Two of last year’s finalists are again scholarship winners. Each finalist prepared three pieces for the final judging, one of which was a solo while the others were played with a rhythm section that included master bassist Gordon Johnson and popular drummer Phil Hey.

Javier Santiago © Andrea Canter

Javier Santiago, who won the Jane Matteson Scholarship and Performance Award last year, has been awarded the 2007 David Paulus Scholarship. A graduating senior at Watershead High School (Minneapolis), Javier studies with Tanner Taylor and has been a member of the Dakota Combo. In the fall, Javier will join the elite Brubeck Institute Fellows program, one of four musicians selected nationally. For his program, Javier performed Herbie Hancock’s “Dolphin Dance” (solo), Jerome Kern’s “Long Ago and Far Away,” and an untitled original tune. His composition in 7/8 time won particular praise from the judges.

Joel Friedman Trio © Andrea Canter

Kevin Kay is congratulated by Jason Kudrna of the Schubert Club © Andrea Canter

The Sponsors

The Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education is a non-profit organization sponsored by the Minneapolis-based Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant, dedicated to bringing jazz and education together through educational programs and free concert performances. A highlight of the past year has been the first edition of the Dakota Combo, an ensemble of standout high school jazz artists directed by local trumpeter/educator Kelly Rossum. The Combo rehearsed throughout the fall and performed on the Dakota club stage with internationally renowned saxophonist Bobby Watson in December. Other projects of the Foundation have included summer jazz camp scholarships and residencies from the Brubeck Institute (2005) and Monk Institute (2006); this summer the Foundation will sponsor the Student Stage at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival

The Schubert Club is a long-standing St. Paul organization (established in 1882), dedicated to the promotion and performance of classical music. In addition to its acclaimed concert series, the Schubert Club promotes education and performance opportunities for future professional musicians through several scholarship programs and master classes, and operates a Museum of Musical Instruments. In the past year, a finalist from the 2006 jazz piano competition was invited to perform at one of the “Courtroom Concerts” in Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul.

The Marie Froehlich Award is donated in honor of the family of piano teacher and performer Marie Froehlich. Daughter of a musician, Marie returned to music after she was widowed, and became a piano teacher and supper club musician, playing into her late 80s. Her last public performance was a Schubert Club Courtroom Concert.

The David Paulus Award honors the 1969 winner of the Schubert Club Scholarship Competition. Learning piano and trumpet as a youngster, David Paulus went on to work as a pianist and singing waiter in Glacier National Park before attending law school; after retiring from law he played piano for Carnival Cruise Line tours, passing away in 2003 on the island of Barbados. David’s nephew Greg Paulus learned trumpet on his uncle’s instrument and is now a New York –based jazz musician.

The Jane Matteson Award honors the co-founder of the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education, the only person to serve on both the Dakota Foundation and Schubert Club Boards of Directors. An ardent jazz fan throughout her life, Jane was a fixture at the Dakota in its old St. Paul location. Annually, her memory is also honored with the Jane Award for outstanding contributions to jazz education.

The three finalists in the 2007 Jazz Piano Scholarship Competition will perform with MacPhail Center for Music faculty on July 1, at 5 pm, on the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education Stage (10^th and Nicollet Mall) as part of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival.