The Talent Search finals, for a third year, were opened to the public free of charge on March 7 at the Litchfield Community Center. Fourteen semi-finalists ages 12 to 17, selected from video submissions, became the most accomplished group of players the event had so far presented. On that cool Saturday afternoon, an audience of some 80 people began arriving at the Community Center for a 2 o’clock curtain. One contestant had come all the way from Maryland and arrived with time to spare. So, she requested permission to warm up in the still-empty hall on LPA’s Steinway that lives at the center for 11 months of the year (the fest and camp have dibs each July). It was immediately apparent that the 12-year-old Talia Makris Fonda had been listening to a lot of piano masters. You could hear the influence of the great Bill Evans‘s voicing in her chords.
Soon, the other 13 contestants (Talia was the only girl), their families, locals, and LPA loyalists, filled the hall with excitement and expectation. Everyone was welcome. The order of the day was a series of performances with each semifinalist presenting a tune of their own choosing, backed by a professional trio. And they had picked some beauties, among them Anthropology, A Night in Tunisia, Clifford Brown’s Sandu, Polka Dots and Moonbeams and Ugetsu. A 17-year-old drummer, Nolan Siman from Newton, MA had thrown that one into the mix and done a brilliant job with Art Blakey‘s arrangement. Other semi-finalists were Noah Silver, 16, Nathan Waldow, 13, Ikutaro Matsuki, 17, Andrew Quito, 14, Gabriel Perry, 17, Kenjiro Matsuki, 14, Saul Hershberg, 14, Jackson Dolorico, 15, Ishan Alur,15, Ahan Ghosh-Rao, 14, Tristan Connelly, 15, and Linus Tsang, 15. The judges powwowed after each had given their all and chose five to enter the final round.
The distinguished panel of judges included Don Braden, Music Director of Litchfield Jazz Camp, Albert Rivera, Operations Director of the Camp, Kris Allen, Lyle, B. Clay Artist in Residence at Williams College, and Vita Muir, Founder and Executive/Artistic Director of Litchfield Performing Arts. The trio of pros with whom these fortunate youngsters got to play were Zaccai Curtis on piano, a 2025 Grammy winner, Luques Curtis on bass and Ian Carroll,on drums. All three are long-term members of Litchfield Jazz Camp’s teaching faculty.
And the finalists were – in descending order— pianist Noah Silver, Newton, MA, saxophonist Tristan Connelly, Fairfield, CT, pianist Linus Tsang, Guildford, CT, drummer Nolan Siman, Newton, MA, and bassist Ikutaro Matsuki, Tenafly, NJ. Each of them played two tunes, again of their own choosing with, it should be noted, no rehearsal with the band; this is JAZZ after all. Judges were in close agreement on all but the choice of first place. Unable to pick one or the other, they decided on a tie between Noah and Tristan with each awarded a $2000 scholarship to Litchfield Jazz Camp. Second place winner Linus, received a $1000 scholarship and Nolan and Ikutaro each won honorable mentions and $350 scholarships.
With excitement running high and no one wanting to call it a day just yet, the finalists gave us two more tunes. They played Sonny Rollins’s wildly popular tenor madness and earned a standing ovation. The finalist performances were captured on videotape and are available here!