Surrey & White Rock students receive 18 awards at 2026 Surrey Schools International Jazz Festival
The Sullivan Heights Senior Jazz Band graced the stage at this year's Surrey Schools International Jazz Festival alongside students from 40 other secondary schools across B.C. (Photo by Jacob Zinn)
The winners are in! And Surrey and White Rock students from seven secondary schools across the district took home 18 awards and six scholarships at this year’s Surrey Schools International Jazz Festival, one of Canada’s largest showcases of secondary jazz.
Semiahmoo Secondary once again left with the most accolades at 10, taking four junior awards and six senior, including Outstanding Performance as a Senior Jazz Combo, Rhythm Section, Piano Player and Auxiliary Percussion.
Semiahmoo students Chloe Huang and Annie Zang also won individual awards for Senior Musician and Bassist, respectively, as well as $500 scholarships from Gallacher Investments Inc. and the Peninsula Arts Foundation. Classmate Sakura Anzai also received the William & Alice Singular Memorial Scholarship.
Grandview Heights Secondary took home three awards, receiving individual accolades for Outstanding Performance as a Junior Saxophone Player and Junior/Senior Trumpet Player and Trombone Player.
École Salish Secondary students received awards for Junior/Senior Rhythm Section and Guitar Player, as well as a scholarship for Ethan Watkins from Gallacher Investments.
Fraser Heights Secondary’s Teddy Park received an award for Junior Lead Trumpet Player while Ana Nikl received a $650 full tuition scholarship to the VSO School of Music Summer Jazz Workshops.
For Junior/Senior Jazz, Guildford Park Secondary’s Ethan Ezennia and Queen Elizabeth Secondary’s Eric Do received awards in the Drummer and Piano Player categories, respectively. Earl Marriott Secondary’s Anette Forbes received a $500 scholarship from the Peninsula Arts Foundation, in memory of South Surrey band teacher Lorna Graham.
Click HERE for a full list of award winners and scholarship recipients.
Congratulations to all of our Surrey Schools International Jazz Festival winners!
