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Fox Lane Quartet Places Third At Jazz Festival Competition

BEDFORD, N.Y. -- Fox Lane High School announced that its Jazz Quartet finished in third place in its competitive category at the Berklee College of Music's 49th annual High School Jazz Festival.

Left to right: Fox Lane High School jazz quartet members Joey Berkley, Sammy Sussman, Carson Peck, Josh Karas and Marcello Carelli.

Left to right: Fox Lane High School jazz quartet members Joey Berkley, Sammy Sussman, Carson Peck, Josh Karas and Marcello Carelli.

Photo Credit: Fox Lane High School

The festival took place last Saturday and included more than 3,000 students participating in 200 bands, the school noted. It was held at Boston's Hynes Convention Center.

The quartet competed in a field of 12 for small jazz combos, the school noted.

Fox Lane students participating included Sammy Sussman playing bass; Marcello Carelli playing drums; Josh Karas playing piano; and Carson Peck playing guitar. Joey Berkley, a Bedford Central School District staffer, led the group.

Carelli also received an individual honor, the school noted, winning one of four Outstanding Musicianship Awards.

“Berklee was an exciting culmination of five months of hard work for our quartet," Sussman said in a statement for his quartet. "We work well together, and Mr. Berkley has pushed us this year to play in different styles from different eras. I enjoyed spending the day in Boston listening to such a wide variety of jazz groups and seeing so many talented young jazz musicians! The competition was tough this year, and we are so proud of finishing in the top three after improving on our adjudication score from last year.”

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