October 16, 2023

On October 15, Chicago native and MSM alumnus Jahari Stampley (BM ’21) won first place and $50,000 in the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition. Incredibly, four other musicians from the MSM Community were semi-finalists in the competition, including: current student Alan Bartuš (MM ’25); Esteban Castro (PC ’17); Dabin Ryu (MM ’20); and Jenny Xu (MM ’19).

(In photo above, Herbie Hancock on left poses with MSM alumnus Jahari Stampley, second from left, along with second- and third-place winners Connor Rohrer and Paul Cornish.)

The competition held by the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, in association with the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), awarded major scholarships and prizes, including the $50,000 first-place award.

World-renowned pianists Bill Charlap, Orrin Evans, Herbie Hancock, Hiromi and Danilo Pérez served as the competition judges.

The competition concluded with a star-studded gala event at PAC NYC, during which Stampley performed Prelude Entrance and After the Morning.

Other awards at the event

The Institute also presented its Maria Fisher Founder’s Award to five-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist and educator Dianne Reeves, who has played a vital role in the Institute’s mission for nearly three decades.

Visionary architect Frank Gehry was honored with the Institute’s Herbie Hancock Humanitarian Award for his commitment to arts education, notably jazz and classical music training for young people.

Learn more about the competition here:

MSM Jazz Arts: