Jazz Festival scholarship winner announced

Annual event returns this weekend

Submitted

The Lewiston Jazz Festival Inc. board of directors announced Benjamin Mekinulov as the recipient of the 2023 Carol Calato Jazz Scholarship.

He is a senior cello performance major at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Mekinulov started lessons with professor Feng Hew of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra when he was 6 years old, and cello has been his passion ever since. He also has studied with David Yink (Eastman School of Music) and Dr. Melissa Kraut (Cleveland Institute of Music).

Mekinulov has served as the principal cellist for the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra. He was a first-prize recipient of the “Tuesday Morning Competition” and gold medal winner of the Cleveland Cello Society Scholarship.

The $1,000 Carol Calato Jazz Scholarship is awarded each year to a student majoring in a music field via an application and judging process. The process for the 2024 scholarship will start in March, with information online at www.LewistonJazz.com.

Jazz Festival Weekend

An exceptional level of talent featuring jazz all-stars and rising stars will grace the stage on Friday, Aug. 25, and Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Northwest Jazz Festival. Headlining performances include the United States Air Force Rhythm in Blue Band, the Benny Benack III Quartet, and, on Saturday, experience the highly anticipated festival appearance of the supergroup SOMETHING ELSE! 

The two-day festival runs from 5-10:30 p.m. Friday, and again from noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Center Street in historic Lewiston will come alive with live music and food/beverage vendors with five stages throughout the festival grounds.

The festival is free to attend (no coolers or carry-ins), with a limited number of tickets available for preferred seating at the main stage. Tickets are $25 each and available online at www.LewistonJazz.com. A limited number of tickets will be available at the festival.