Overview
This is where the stars come out! Join us for our annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition or the “Sassy Awards,” where the best young jazz singers of today compete to become the legends of tomorrow. Winners of the first eight seasons include recent GRAMMY® nominees Cyrille Aimée and Jazzmeia Horn, not to mention such stars as Ashleigh Smith, Arianna Neikrug, Deelee Dubé, Quiana Lynell, Laurin Talese, and 2019’s champion, Samara Joy McLendon. Come and cheer for your favorite vocalists—with so much talent on one stage, everyone’s a winner.
Our Finalists
Hailey Brinnel
Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim
Benny Benack III
Gabrielle Cavassa
The panel of judges includes multi-Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride, jazz vocalist Carmen Lundy, vocalist Vanessa Rubin, producer Chuck Mitchell, and WBGO’s interim President & CEO Robert Ottenhoff. The competition is hosted by WBGO’s morning show host, Gary Walker.
Your safety remains our first priority. This event and others have been added to NJPAC’s 2021 calendar, and we anticipate that they will be held as scheduled. However, if the pandemic continues unabated, these performances will be either rescheduled or canceled. If an event is canceled, your ticket purchase will be refunded.