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Earlier this year, the UMass Vocal Jazz Group, directed by Catherine Jensen-Hole, was among the winners in the 2022 Student Music Awards sponsored by DownBeat Magazine, which is widely recognized as the top publication devoted to “jazz, blues, and beyond.”

Each year, DownBeat announces the student award winners in its June issue based on recordings submitted by jazz programs from across the country. This year, the Vocal Jazz Group won the award for Outstanding Performance in the undergraduate college (Latin Group) category. Students who performed on the submitted recordings included vocalists Nathan Fisette, Julia Ganley, Emma Hagan, Uma Kasichainula, Julia Loewer, Logan O’Connell, Henry Pareto, Mae Whaley, and Hannah White. Dylan Walter and Coleman Hovey performed on piano/keyboard, with Dillon Pinard on drums.  

The Vocal Jazz Group has won numerous awards from DownBeat in the past, including Outstanding Performance by an Asynchronous Small Vocal Jazz Group in the undergraduate category in 2021.