Esteban Ruiz recipient of Billy Strayhorn Jazz Education Scholarship Award
Exeter High senior Esteban Ruiz recently was named recipient of the 2024 Billy Strayhorn Education Scholarship Award from the Litchfield Jazz Camp. The scholarship program was established in 2008 by Billy Strayhorn Songs Inc., to recognize students, teachers and institutions with a strong passion for playing, studying, and perpetuating jazz.
“When I got the call, I was shocked,” said the 17-year-old Ruiz. “It is such an honor and privilege to now be included in the list of past scholarship recipients.”
The Strayhorn Foundation call came from Galen Demus, Jazz Education Coordinator and the nephew of Billy Strayhorn.
“We could not be happier to recognize Esteban as a rising star student and musician,” said Demus. “We wish him continued success and look forward to hearing more in the future about this talented performer.”
Ruiz was nominated for the scholarship by Albert Rivera, the Bronx-based saxophonist, performer, bandleader, composer, and clinician. Rivera is the director of the prestigious Litchfield Jazz Camp in Connecticut and a long-time member of the Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest education committee.
"I first met Esteban during an education clinic at the Berks fest,” said Rivera, a professor at SUNY Purchase Jazz Conservatory in New York. “When I heard him play the bass, I was blown away. Then I learned that, in addition to the bass, he also is proficient at playing violin, guitar, and mandolin. I quickly recognized that Esteban was a focused and dedicated young musician, eager to work hard to learn as much as possible about the music. He is a talented and humble kid.”
The Rivera-Ruiz connection led to Ruiz spending two weeks at the Litchfield Jazz Camp, where he had the opportunity to learn and perform with other talented young musicians exploring Latin Jazz and more. He was selected to be part of a special combo that performed during a fundraising event for the camp.
Ruiz has participated in the numerous getJazzed opportunities offered during the Berks Jazz Fest the last four years. getJazzed is the educational arm of the Berks Jazz Fest.
Some of Ruiz’s bass playing influences include Eddie Gomez, Ron Carter, Paul Chambers, Reggie Workman, and Jaco Pastorius.
Ruiz stays busy performing with Exeter school bands and with several local bands, including the newly formed Esteban Ruiz Trio. Ruiz is a member of the popular So What! Trio that also features Noah Gibney, Wyomissing High senior, and Dexter Sales, Wilson High sophomore. The talented trio has won the prestigious Chuck Loeb Memorial Scholarship in 2023 and 2024 presented annually during the Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest by the Reading Musical Foundation and Berks Arts.
With his high school days coming to an end, Ruiz and his mom, Mari, are reviewing college options that include Temple, Duquesne, NYU, Julliard, New England Conservatory, and the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.
“It has been an amazing year,” said Ruiz, reflecting on his musical journey. “It has been a year of performing a lot of shows and becoming a better musician. It has been a year of learning so much about the overall music industry. It has been a year of developing my people and networking skills that will certainly help me moving forward.”
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