By Emma Barhydt
The Greenwich High School Performing Arts Center will host the 39th Annual Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival on Saturday, March 21, continuing a long-running tradition that celebrates student musicianship and the legacy of jazz education.
Organized by the Greenwich High School Music Department in partnership with the GHS Band Boosters, the full-day festival brings together student ensembles, professional musicians, and educators for a program of performances and masterclasses open to the public.
Now approaching four decades in Greenwich, the event has become a fixture in the local arts calendar, drawing student jazz bands from across Connecticut, New York, and Quebec, Canada. Throughout the day, visiting ensembles will perform on stage at the Performing Arts Center, sharing repertoire rooted in the big band tradition associated with Duke Ellington and the broader swing era.
The festival opens at 8:30 a.m. with a performance by the Central Middle School Jazz Ensemble, followed by the Greenwich High School Jazz Lab Band at 9:30 a.m. Both ensembles represent the next generation of musicians within Greenwich’s public school music programs.
At noon, the focus turns to education with a series of instrument-specific masterclasses led by professional jazz musicians. Participating students will work directly with visiting clinicians in sessions designed to deepen technical skill, ensemble awareness, and improvisational confidence.
This year’s masterclass faculty includes pianist Joyce DiCamillo, bassist Yoshi Waki, drummer Thierry Arpino, trumpeter Tony Kadleck, trombonist Mariel Bildsten, and saxophonist John Mastroianni.
DiCamillo, who leads the featured ensemble for the festival, has maintained an active career as a jazz pianist and educator for more than forty years. Her trio has appeared at major jazz festivals in the United States and internationally, and she has collaborated with artists including James Moody, Phil Woods, Houston Person, and Marvin Stamm. A Steinway Artist, she has also performed at the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival and appeared on National Public Radio’s Piano Jazz program.
In addition to her performance career, DiCamillo has devoted decades to music education. She co-founded the Summer Jazz Workshop, one of the longest-running summer jazz programs in the New York metropolitan region, and previously served as Executive Director and Director of Jazz Studies for the Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic.
DiCamillo’s trio includes bassist Yoshi Waki and drummer Thierry Arpino. Waki, originally from Fukuoka, Japan, studied at Berklee College of Music and has built a wide-ranging career in New York City performing with artists including Paquito D’Rivera, Freddie Cole, Deborah Harry, and the Artie Shaw Orchestra.
Arpino, a graduate of the St. Maur National Academy in France who later attended Berklee, has toured internationally and performed with a diverse range of artists. His ongoing work includes global touring with vocalist Lisa Fischer and collaborations with jazz guitarist Larry Coryell.
The featured performance by the Joyce DiCamillo Trio and guest artists begins at 1:00 p.m. The trio will be joined by Kadleck on trumpet, Bildsten on trombone, and Mastroianni on saxophone, forming a lineup that reflects the collaborative spirit central to jazz performance.
Student ensembles from visiting schools will continue performing throughout the afternoon, offering audiences the opportunity to hear a range of interpretations within the jazz tradition.
The festival concludes at 5:30 p.m. with performances by Greenwich High School’s jazz ensembles, highlighting the school’s longstanding commitment to music education and ensemble performance.
Food will be available for purchase during the event, allowing attendees to remain at the venue throughout the day’s program.
Tickets, the full festival schedule, livestream information, and sponsorship details are available online in advance of the March 21 event.
For Greenwich audiences, the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival offers a rare opportunity to experience the energy of live jazz performance while witnessing the dedication of student musicians as they carry forward a tradition that continues to evolve with every generation.
