Class Got Brass 2025 Winners Announcement

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Announces the 2025 Class Got Brass Competition Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW ORLEANS (April 5, 2025) – The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Class Got Brass competition presented by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation took place on March 29, 2025, 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 trombonist Craig Klein, New Orleans-based trumpeter and vocalist, Mark Braud, Ashley Shabankareh, educator, musician, and Director of Operations and Programs at Trombone Shorty Foundation, acclaimed New Orleans-based jazz saxophonist and composer, Orlando Gilbert, Band-leader of the Original Pinettes Brass Band, Christie Jourdain, and Leslie Cooper of musician and talk show host of WWOZ 90.7 FM. The competition was emceed by LeBron “LBJ” Joseph, on-air media personality at WGNO, NOLA 38, and iHeart Radio’s WYLD-FM. A heartfelt thanks and acknowledgement is extended to advisor Asia Muhaimin of NOLA Public Schools. Grand marshals for Class Got Brass were Clyde Adams, and 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 2025 Competition:

In the Advanced Category:

1st Place – Edna Karr High School

2nd Place- Abramson Sci Academy

3rd Place – St. Augustine High School

Schools in the Advanced Category who received $1,000 for participating include George Washington Carver, New Orleans Military & Maritime Academy, Riverdale High School, St. Mary’s Academy. $1,000

In the Beginners Category:

1st Place- Mildred Osborne Charter

2nd Place- Geo Next Generation High

3rd Place- West Jefferson High School

Schools in the Beginner Category who received $1,000 for participating include Young Audiences Charter School, Baker Middle School, Helix Mentorship STEAM Academy, Homer Plessy, Liberty Magnet High School, Ponchatoula High School, Thomas Jefferson Academy

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