On Monday 30 March 2026, our jazz department competed in the annual National Youth Jazz Competition in Tauranga. In preparation for the event, our school hosted a jazz concert in the auditorium for families to come and enjoy – showcasing their endless hours of rehearsing and practicing.
The 48th annual competition consisted of 42 schools competing with 28 big bands and 59 jazz combos, with our school sending our best three student combos and the most “amazing-award-winning” big band.
Our musicians delivered their best performances, receiving outstanding results from this year’s participation, surpassing all expectations.
They achieved the following results:
- Big Band – Gold award
- Big Kahuna Burger – Gold award
- Mama’s Ramen – Gold award
- Royale with Cheese – Bronze award
- Edwina Thorne Trophy: Best Big Band Trumpet or Flugel – Maia Tay Morrison
- Dave Feehan Trophy: Best Big Band Vocalist – Audrey Basilio
Additionally, our trumpeter Max Tay-Morrison featured among the NYJC Big Band performance prior to prizegiving, further representing his musicality and Sancta Maria College. We honour Max for his brilliant trumpet abilities.
Congratulations to the following students for representing our school at this event:
Big Band Members: Audrey Basilio, Daniel Butcher, Amelia Brzozowzki, Ariane Cordeiro, Raynelle Ramos, Joshua Orange, Aaron Chan, Patrick Maldon, Matthew Ye, Lucas Siu, Maia Tay-Morrison, Max Tay-Morrison, Aaron Santoso, Jake Price, Liam Wu, Cedric Ybanez, Rocky Liu, Christina Chiatchara, Gabriel Huerella, Madison Isaia, Chloe Ting
Big Kahuna Burger: Daniel Butcher, Joshua Orange, Max Tay-Morrison, Audrey Basilio, Liam Wu, Arianna Peters, Gabriel Huerella
Mama’s Ramen: Ariane Cordeiro, Maia Tay-Morrison, Amelia Brzozowzki, Madison Isaia, Aaron Santoso, Rocky Liu
Royale with Cheese: Amelia Brzozowzki, Raynelle Ramos, Olivia Yang, Rocky Liu, Chloe Ting, Cedric Ybanez, Christina Chiatchara
Finally, a huge thank you to the teachers, staff and SLT who helped support and organise this competition – the experience was a great opportunity for our jazz musicians, and an importantly provided them with a further step forward with their musical journey.
