The Stamps Jazz Quintet, the newest ensemble in the elite Stamps Scholars Program, joined the Frost School of Music this year. Graduating in 2029, they were selected for their exceptional musical talent, leadership potential, and academic merit. All receive four-year scholarships covering all expenses and enrichment, such as travel to summer festivals, and will perform together for their entire four years at the Frost School. The group is mentored by Professor Charles Bergeron and other Studio Music and Jazz faculty, and has performed nationally and internationally, as well as recording albums of original music.
The new members are already accomplished musicians. Bass player Laesio Littlejohn, of Washington, D.C., has received multiple awards and scholarships, including being named Outstanding Bassist at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Jazz Orchestra competition in 2024 and 2025; Downbeat Student Music Awards in 2025 and 2024; and performing with the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra in 2022.
Violinist and vocalist Tanvi Kumar, a graduate of the Berkeley High School Jazz Program from Berkeley, California, led her own quintet in shows at Bay Area jazz venues, and was a member of the San Francisco Jazz High School All Stars and other national youth ensembles.
Pianist Ben Collins-Siegel, who hails from Maplewood, New Jersey, was a 2023 YoungArts finalist and a member of the National Youth Orchestra/NYO Jazz in 2025 and the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra in 2023. He has been honored with multiple DownBeat Student Music Awards in the High School Jazz Soloist category and played with prominent jazz artists, including John Pizzarelli and Julius Tolentino.
Drummer Jeremy Baun, born and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut, began playing drums at age 4, and went on to play in the Concert Jazz Band at William H. Hall High School’s nationally famed and award-winning jazz program, as well as in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra.
Guitarist Mason Jerome, of Chicago, Illinois, graduated from the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, and has participated in the Illinois Music Education Conference and performed at clubs in Chicago and in shows in Portugal and Spain.
Funded by the Stamps Charitable Foundation, founded by Penny and E. Roe Stamps, the Stamps Scholars Program is a prestigious international program that brings an exceptional new group of musicians to the Frost School each year. The program’s other ensembles are the Stamps Woodwind Quintet, Stamps String Quartet, and Stamps Brass Quintet.
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