The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition helped launch the careers of some of the genre's most acclaimed and enduring artists. Now, in its 31st year-its first as the renamed Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition-the event returns to Washington, D.C., December 2-3.
The contest spotlights a different instrument each year, with this years event focusing on the guitar. Israeli pianist and Berklee student Tom Oren took home first prize in 2018, becoming the sixth Berklee musician to win the competition. Next month, four Berklee alumni semifinalists-Cecil Alexander, Fran ois Chanvallon, Lucian Gray, and Matt Sewell-will compete for the chance to attach their names to this legacy.
Find Your Style
The Guitar Department helps you forge your artistic path, providing expert instruction in countless styles such as jazz, rock, metal, funk, classical, and microtonal music, among others.
The semifinals take place on Monday, December 2, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Each musician will have 15 minutes to perform in front of an all-star judging panel that includes Pat Metheny '96H, John Scofield '73, Lionel Loueke '00, Russell Malone, and Stanley Jordan. The judges will select three guitarists from this group to advance to the finals on Tuesday, December 3, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The first-prize winner will earn $30,000 in scholarship funds, and will be offered a recording contract with Concord Music Group. Beyond the financial reward, winning the title brings the awards substantial cultural cachet-crucial for a young artist seeking to carve out a career in the competitive world of jazz.
Since the first competition was held in 1987, nearly half the participants have come from Berklee. The institute has only held two previous guitar competitions: Lage Lund B.M. '00 won first prize in 2005, and Sheryl Bailey, assistant chair of Berklee's Guitar Department, placed third in 1995.
About the Semifinalists: Cecil Alexander Cecil Alexander B.M. '16, of Muskegon, Michigan, is a graduate of the Berklee and William Paterson University. He cofounded the group Visen in 2016 with fellow Berklee graduate Ari Jaye Alexander, and in 2017 the group released its first EP, Shoulder Deep. A winner of the 2017 Wilson Center Jazz Guitar Competition and the 2018 Lee Ritenour Six String Theory Competition in the jazz category, Alexander counts Peter Bernstein, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Jesse van Ruller among his key influences. He has performed or recorded with artists such as Nathan East, Luis Perdomo, James Weidman, and Pat Bianchi, to name a few.
Fran ois Chanvallon Fran ois Chanvallon B.M. '18, of Paris, France, began his musical training at age 10. After attending the IMEP Paris College of Music, he earned a Bachelor of Music with honors from Berklee. He has studied privately with Darren Barrett, Mick Goodrick, Rick Peckham, Jaleel Shaw, and Miguel Zen n, among others. Currently a masters degree candidate at the Manhattan School of Music, Chanvallon has worked with artists including Chris Cheek, Gary Burton, and Kurt Elling, and was a 2019 finalist in the 7 Virtual Jazz Club Competition. He appears on Darren Barrett's recent release The EVI Sessions: Mr. Steiner.
Lucian Gray Lucian Gray B.M. '12, of Toronto, Canada, attended Berklee on the prestigious Slaight Family Scholarship, studying with George Garzone, Mick Goodrick, Dave Santoro, and Mark Whitfield. He has appeared alongside notable artists such as Guido Basso, Il Divo, Molly Johnson, and Neil Swainson, among others, and has performed at prominent festivals throughout Canada, including the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, the Beaches Jazz Festival, and the Calgary Jazz Festival. Gray is currently head of jazz studies at Discovery through the Arts, a nonprofit music school in Toronto, and also plays the piano and upright and electric bass.
Matt Sewell Matt Sewell B.M. '19 is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, who began formal musical training on piano at age 7, ultimately settling on guitar at age 9. He recently graduated from Berklee, where he worked with artists including Terence Blanchard, Emanuel Harrold, Adam Larson, Quiana Lynell, and Noah Preminger. Sewell has appeared on major stages in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, and Poland, including venues such as the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and the Spoleto Festival USA.
Related categories:
News
Most Popular
Maleficent Composer: Every Note Points to the Story Geoff Zanelli B.M. 96 talks about his creative process, his deep love for fantasy films, and the importance of making mistakes.
Latest
Berklee Alumni Win Four Latin Grammys Nella picked up Best New Artist in a big night for Berklee at the 20th annual Latin Grammy Awards.
Berklee Announces First Gospel Summer Program The five-day performance program brings together gospels traditions with its contemporary cultural relevance, and will take place August 17-21, 2020.
Four Berklee Guitarists Vie for Preeminent Jazz Prize Berklee alumni make up a quarter of the semifinalists at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Berklee Blogs
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat
Soundcloud
Spotify
Most recent headlines
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition helped launch the careers of some of the genre's most acclaimed and enduring artists. Now, in its 31st year-its first as the renamed Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition-the event returns to Washington, D.C., December 2-3.
