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WMU Scores Big on DownBeat Jazz Awards

DownBeat magazine

Seven Western Michigan University jazz students and student ensembles have won honors in this year's DownBeat magazine Student Music Awards.

That put Western second only to to Austria's University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz in the number of students winning awards.

Several Western alumni also got awards in the 38th annual competition.

Western Jazz Studies Program Director Tom Knific says the awards mean that the university is among the five best jazz programs around the world.

The WMU students and groups that got awards this year are:

The Lasse Grunewald Quartet (small jazz combo)

Sam Alhadid (vocal jazz soloist)

Monica Pabelonio (vocal jazz soloist)

Out of State (small vocal jazz group)

Kellen Boersma, guitarist (blues/pop/rock soloist)

Elliot Weeks, Dust of Snow (original composition/small ensemble)

Elliot Weeks, Dust of Snow (original composition-large ensemble)

The awards will be published in the June edition of DownBeat. It will ne on newsstands next week.

Andy Robins has been WMUK's News Director since 1998 and a broadcast journalist for over 24 years. He joined WMUK's staff in 1985. Under his direction, WMUK has received numerous awards for news reporting.