Youth Jazz Canada

Honour Combo A

Honour Combo A Musicians Announced

Liam Masil-Mitro - alto sax
Michael Gracie - trumpet
Andrew Marzotto - guitar
Holt Stuart-Hitchcox - bass
Louis Baranyi-Irvine - drums

The project creates opportunities for talented young jazz musicians ages 14 – 18 to rehearse, perform and study with some of the finest professional jazz musicians in Canada. Students audition from across the GTA and are selected to perform with one of two GTA Honour Combos and/or participate in a Summer Jazz Workshop for Youth. The project provides gifted young players with stepping stones towards national and international performance opportunities. The Honour Combo was announced in mid-January after a highly competitive process that saw applications submitted from across the GTA. Directed by renowned saxophonist and composer Kirk MacDonald, the group will rehearse and perform at various locations and events throughout the spring and summer including the TD Downtown Jazz Festival, The Beaches Jazz Festival, The Rex, Chalkers, the Markham Jazz Festival and numerous private and civic functions.

Liam Masil-Mitro, Alto Sax

Liam Masil-Mitro is a seventeen-year-old alto sax player who has spent the majority of his life in Stouffville, Ontario. He has been living in Toronto for the past two years where he attends Forest Hill Collegiate Institute. Liam has been playing the alto for 9 years and has attended the Humber Collage Community Music program since the age of 3. In addition to the alto sax, Liam also plays tenor sax, drums and some percussive instruments. He is currently studying with Jeff King and plays in the Senior Enriched program at Humber under the direction of Kirk MacDonald. Liam also performs with several bands around the city playing straight ahead Jazz, Fusion, Rock, Hip-Hop, and Funk. He intends to pursue music at the post secondary level in the fall of 2011.

Michael Gracie, Trumpet

Michael Gracie is currently in grade 11 at the University of Toronto Schools, where he is a member of the Stage Band and Symphonic Band. Music has been a big part of Michael’s life since the age of six, when he began studying classical piano, completing his grade nine at Royal Conservatory of Music. He has been playing trumpet for five years, the last three years studying with Jake Wilkinson. He joined the Jazz FM Youth Big Band when it was formed in 2008 and currently plays lead trumpet with the group. He has participated in the Humber College Community Music Jazz Program since 2009. Looking ahead, Michael hopes to grow as a musician and see where it takes him.

Andrew Marzotto, Guitar

Andrew Marzotto, currently in his final year of high school at Rosedale Collegiate, was born in Toronto in 1994 and began playing guitar at age nine. Andrew started playing rock but switched to jazz about 2 years ago.

He has played all over Toronto with The Jazz Fm 91.1 youth big band, funk bands, and different trios. In the summer of 2010,

Andrew was one of a select group of students chosen from around the world to receive a full scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music ‘Five Week’ Jazz Workshop.

Holt Stuart-Hitchcox, Bass

Holt Stuart-Hitchcox, age sixteen, currently attends Martingrove Collegiate and has been playing bass since he was seven. Born in Etobicoke, he has been enrolled in the Humber College Community Music School for most of his life where he has had the opportunity to study with several of Canada's finest musicians, including Jim Vivian, Kirk Macdonald, Michael McLennan, Jon Maharaj, Dan Fortin, Dave Niell, and Barry Romberg, among others. Over the past few years, Holt has received several awards including three Musicfest Honour awards and a Humber College tuition scholarship. Holt is currently running a self-directed combo and intends to study music at the post-secondary level in the fall of 2011.

Louis Baranyi-Irvine, Drums

Louis Baranyi-Irvine was born on April 3, 1993 in Etobicoke, Ontario and currently attends the Etobicoke School for the Arts. He has been playing drums since the age of eleven when he began learning basic rock drumming from his father Joe, who also exposed Louis to jazz, blues and funk music. Louis enrolled in the Humber College Community Music Program in 2008 where he now studies privately with Barry Romberg. He has also had the opportunity to study drums with Ethan Ardelli and has played in ensembles directed by Mike McClennan, Kim Ratcliffe, Dave Neill and Barry Romberg. Outside of Humber, Louis performs original music with a number of self-run rock, funk, and progressive rock bands. He has played drums with the vocal group at his high school and is an active member of the school’s award winning jazz combo and stage band.

Please contact:

Christina Takaoka
Program Assistant, Music Department