Class Got Brass 2024 Winners Announcement

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Announces

Class Got Brass 2024 Competition Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW ORLEANS (April 4, 2024) – The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Class Got Brass competition presented by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation took place on March 23, 2024, in Louis Armstrong Park during the Congo Square Rhythms Festival.

Middle and high school students from across Louisiana participated in the competition, creating New Orleans brass band ensembles in a second line-style parade for a select group of celebrity judges. 

Celebrity judges included Tony Sylvester of the Gia Maione Prima Foundation, Grammy award winning jazz trumpeter Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown, Ashley Shabankareh, educator, musician, and Director of Operations and Programs at Trombone Shorty Foundation, acclaimed New Orleans musician and chef John Cannon IV, and Leslie Cooper of WWOZ 90.7 FM. The competition was emceed by LeBron “LBJ” Joseph, on-air personality at WGNO, NOLA 38, and iHeart Radio’s WYLD-FM. Grand marshals for Class Got Brass were Babydoll Carol “Kit” Harris and Latonia Coverson of the N’awlins D’awlins Babydolls.

The Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the Class Got Brass 2024 Competition:

In the Advanced Category:

1st place – $10,000 to Abramson Sci Academy

2nd place – $7,000 to St. Augustine High School

3rd place – $5,000 to Edna Karr High School

Schools in the Advanced Category who received $1,000 for participating include Bonnabel High School, Covington High School, George Washington Carver, McDonogh 35 High School/InspireNOLA, NOMMA, and Young Audiences Charter High School.

In the Beginners Category:

1st place – $5,000 to GEO Next Generation High School

2nd place – $4,000 to Young Audiences Charter Middle School

3rd place – $3,000 to West Jefferson High School

Schools in the Beginner Category who received $1,000 for participating include Baker Middle School, Belle Chasse Academy, Crescent City Christian School, Homer Plessy Community School Treme, Kipp East Academy, L. W. Higgins High School, Langston Hughes Academy, and Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School.

Class Got Brass is presented by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation. 

ABOUT THE GIA MAIONE PRIMA FOUNDATION:

In 2011, the Gia Maione Prima Foundation was established with the assistance of long-time friend and counsel, Anthony J. Sylvester of Sherman Atlas Sylvester & Stamelman LLP. Gia Maione Prima was a singer and the widow of Louis Prima, the famous jazz musician, singer and composer from New Orleans. The GMPF makes donations to tax-exempt organizations supporting and encouraging an appreciation for American jazz, American popular music and jazz performance as well as the fine arts.

ABOUT THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FOUNDATION

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation invests proceeds from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell and additional funds that we raise for year-round programming in education, economic development and cultural enrichment.   Education programs include the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music, the Tom Dent Congo Square Lectures, the Class Got Brass competition for school brass bands, a youth audio workshop program, youth vocal workshops, and more! Economic Development initiatives include the Community Partnership Grants, the Catapult Fund accelerator program and Sync Up entertainment industry workshops. Cultural enrichment programs include the Jazz & Heritage Concert Series and annual Foundation Festivals: the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, the Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival and the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival.  Importantly, these are free programs that the Jazz and Heritage Foundation has developed over many years to ensure that we give back to Louisiana. The Jazz & Heritage Foundation also owns radio station WWOZ 90.7-FM and the Jazz & Heritage Archive.  In late 2014, the Foundation opened the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center – an education and community facility named for the late Jazz Fest founder George Wein and his wife Joyce.  In March of 2020, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation established the Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund – a statewide relief fund to support Louisiana musicians who were affected by the pandemic. In the last two years the Jazz & Heritage Foundation has been able to provide relief funds of more than $2 million dollars supporting musicians, music industry gig workers, Black Masking Indians and other indigenous cultural practitioners. To learn more about the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, please visit us online at www.jazzandheritage.org