Ilja Reijngoud has won the first prize of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition 2003. An independent jury selected his composition ?No substitute? as best jazz-composition 2003. The award will be presented to him in Washington DC, 27th of April. After that Ilja Reijngoud will perform his winning composition with Eric Reed, Bob Hurst and Carl Allen.
This award is the most prestigious jazz competition in the world. It has launched the careers of a number of major young jazz stars including Marcus Roberts, Joshua Redman, Jacky Terrasson, Joey DeFrancesco, Jesse van Ruller and Michiel Borstlab.
After his cum laude graduation at the Hilversum Conservatory in 1996, Ilja taught the trombone there. In 1997 he was the second Dutch student so far to receive the American Degree ?Master of Music.? Ilja has been nominated for the Dutch Deloite Jazz Award 2003.
In 1998 Ilja and his former teacher Bart van Lier founded an exclusive trombone department at the Rotterdam Conservatory. In recent years Ilja taught clinics and workshops in Europe and abroad (Los Angeles and New Orleans). Warwick Music, England, publishes some of his compositions and arrangements.
Ilja is member of the Dutch Jazz Orchestra, The Ilja Reijngoud/Bart van Lier Quintet, The Houdini?s, The Cubop City Big Band and many other well-known Dutch groups. Ilja worked and recorded with Toots Thielemans, Kenny Werner, Vince Mendoza, Lester Bowie, Bill Holman, Tom Harrell, Philip Catherine, Clark Terry, Jerry and Ack van Rooyen and many others. He recorded more than 35 CD?s.