MiraCosta College today announced that its Music Department and students are the recipients of three prestigious DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards, widely considered the most notable awards in jazz education.

 

This year’s honors were given to Danny Gonzalez, a tenor saxophonist who received the award for Community College Outstanding Performance as a Jazz Soloist; the MiraCosta College Jazz Collective, which was recognized in the Small Jazz Combo category as the Community College Outstanding Performance recipient; and the MiraCosta Oceanside Jazz Orchestra, which was named the Community College Winner in the Large Jazz Ensemble category. 

 

Since DownBeat Magazine first launched the community college category in 2015, the MiraCosta College Music Department has been honored 18 times.

 

“The awards highlight the skill of our students, lend credibility to their degree, and will open some doors for them as they pursue both further education and careers in music. Further, most jazz musicians wait for their entire lives to see their names in DownBeat Magazine! Some of our students have been able to experience that rare and wonderful accomplishment,” explains Stephen Torok, music faculty.

 

The DownBeat Student Music Awards are the premier honors in jazz education. Hundreds of musicians, music educators, and music industry professionals received their first international acknowledgment as DownBeat Student Music Award winners.

“DownBeat Award winners are selected by a blind panel of some of the top jazz educators and performers in the country. It is an incredible honor and quite professionally gratifying for us to be recognized by such a group. It validates the quality of what we are trying to do here” adds Torok. 

 

For the second year in a row, and the third time in history, the MiraCosta Oceanside Jazz Orchestra, more commonly known as MOJO, was named the top large jazz ensemble in the community college category.

 

Led by Chair Steve Torok, the MiraCosta College Music Department offers programs in both traditional and commercial music, providing courses for students planning to transfer to four-year institutions in both majors as well as for students completing general education requirements. The program provides performance opportunities for music majors, non-music majors, and non-traditional students looking to participate in music classes.

 

Every year, MiraCosta College Music Department students graduate and go on to pursue careers in conducting, arts management, academic research, commercial music production, and more. To view a list of upcoming musical events on campus, and hear the award recipients perform, visit the MiraCosta events page.

 

Congratulations to the 2023 DownBeat Magazine award recipients from MiraCosta College:

 

Jazz Soloist

Community College Outstanding Performance

Danny Gonzalez, Tenor Saxophone

 

Small Jazz Combo

Community College Outstanding Performance

MiraCosta Jazz Collective

 

Large Jazz Ensemble

Community College Winner

MiraCosta Oceanside Jazz Orchestra

 

DownBeat Magazine was first published in 1934 and is widely recognized as the top publication devoted to “Jazz, Blues, and Beyond.” Each year, the magazine honors students from all levels of jazz education for their excellence in music. Student ensembles and soloists submit their recordings to a panel of jazz performers, recording artists, and top educators. Panelists then anonymously review all submissions before selecting winners. The full list of 2023 award recipients can be viewed in the DownBeat Magazine June issue.