Litchfield Jazz Camp Talent Search will be held for a third time on March 7. It is open to students ages 13 to 17 on all instruments and vocals. Winners will receive scholarships to the 2026 Litchfield Jazz Camp at the Frederick Gunn School in Washington, CT.
Applicants are asked to submit a video of their band playing “Straight No Chaser” by Thelonious Monk. The band can be anything from a duet to a quartet (for example, horn with piano, bass, and drums). If a band is not available, a click track may be used. All semi-finalists will be notified by Friday, January 16. They will come together on March 7 for the live finals. Each semi-finalist will choose a song they love and perform it with the backing of a professional trio.
We asked the first-place winners of the past two competitions to share “where they are now” and what they’ve accomplished since their ’24 and ’25 wins. Here are their stories:
Dontae James, now 17, and a high school senior at Wilbur Cross and ECA in New Haven, was the first-place winner in the 2025 Litchfield Jazz Camp Talent Search. Last month, he performed with the NMS Premier Jazz Ensemble at the New Haven Jazz Festival. He was accepted into two composition programs—the Young Composers Collective in Texas and the Composer-in-Residence Program at the New Haven Symphony—and won the Billy Strayhorn Foundation Scholarship at Litchfield Jazz Camp. He is currently applying to colleges for music performance, though he says his ultimate goal is to pursue his passion for teaching in order to give back to the communities that have nurtured him and to help others find their love for music.
In 2024, the first-place winner of our inaugural Talent Search was violinist Conor McMillan. Now 18, he is a senior at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn. Last summer, he was a member of NYO Jazz and made his debut at Carnegie’s Stern Auditorium with 20 talented musicians from across the U.S. He was also selected to participate in YoungArts Lab, a four-day workshop in NYC, as a winner of the National YoungArts Competition. In the past year, he has performed at the Guggenheim Museum, led a group of musicians in a musical at the NY Theater Festival, and volunteered with Concerts in Motion, a nonprofit that provides live music to homebound seniors. Right now, he is busy writing college essays.
The 2026 Litchfield Jazz Camp Talent Search finals will be held at the Litchfield Community Center, 421 Bantam Road, Litchfield, CT. Families and the public are invited to attend this afternoon of excellent jazz. Admission and refreshments are free of charge.
To apply, students must complete the registration form at https://litchfieldjazzcamp.com/ljc-talent-search/ and submit a $30 processing fee. Families with incomes below $50,000 may request a fee waiver by calling Tegan Moll at 860-361-6285. Videos should be ready at the time of registration, as the form requires them.
The Talent Search Finals provide an exciting and enjoyable afternoon for everyone. Finalists also find an unusually collegial spirit here. At last season’s finals, a 14-year-old drummer from NYC—already a Litchfield Jazz Camper—and a 15-year-old pianist from New Haven—participating for the first time—struck up a friendship during the event. The drummer won 3rd place in his second attempt, while the pianist did not place, but both attended Camp last summer. They told the Camp’s founder in July that, before ever arriving at Camp, they had already formed a trio and performed several gigs in Brooklyn. This is what competition should be.
For more information, call Litchfield Performing Arts at 860-361-6285. Anyone in the office will be happy to answer your questions.
Please note: Applying for this competition does not preclude any student from applying for the need-based scholarships regularly available for Litchfield Jazz Camp attendance.