New York – Guitarist and composer Matteo Prefumo has won the Grand Prize at the Made in New York Jazz Competition 2025, one of the most prestigious international jazz contests. The award was decided by an outstanding jury composed of three genuine icons of the global jazz scene: Randy Brecker, Lenny White, and Mike Stern. Prefumo entered the competition with his original composition “A New Beginning”, performed alongside Tony Tixier (piano), Josh Ginsburg (double bass), and Francesco Ciniglio (drums). The piece received the highest number of votes in the “Composers” category from the international audience and was subsequently selected by the jury as the overall winner, surpassing the other categories in the competition: solo instrument, solo voice, ensemble, and arrangement. “This award means a great deal to me. To be heard and recognised by artists such as Randy Brecker, Lenny White, and Mike Stern is an emotion I will carry with me always,” Prefumo said. “A New Beginning is a deeply personal piece: my first extended composition, and probably the first that truly reflects how harmony and melody sound in my mind. I wanted to write something harmonically complex, yet with a melody so clear and singable that anyone could hum it.” For Prefumo, this is his second international recognition in less than a year: in December 2024, he was awarded the ISJAC Rule Beasley Prize in Jazz Leadsheet Composition for the piece “The Way It Is!”.

Photo by Luca D’Agostino