Seattle-area high school bands head back to Essentially Ellington

New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center has tapped three area high schools for the prestigious Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band competition finals.

Seattle’s Garfield and Roosevelt High Schools, as well as Mount Si High School from the Snoqualmie Valley, will be among the 15 finalists, selected from more than 100 applicants.

Every aspiring high school band must submit recordings of music selected by the competition’s organizers. Finalists receive coaching from professional mentors before the live competition.

The Puget Sound region traditionally has made a strong showing at Essentially Ellington.

Over the event's 24-year history, both Garfield and Roosevelt have taken top honors multiple times. Mount Si is a finalist for the third consecutive year; several of the school’s student-musicians have been honored in the past for their individual performances.

This year’s competition will be held in New York in May.