Bedford Jazz Band Wins Top Honors

The Jazz Band from Westport’s Bedford Middle School won first prize today at Music in the Parks, an annual competition for elementary, middle school, and high school musical groups. The band, directed by Gregg Winters (backleft, in glasses), won both in its division (jazz bands, middle schools over 750 students) and first overall (all jazz bands), with a judges’ rating of Superior. Bedford’s chamber orchestra won second place in its division, and the Bedford Camerata chorale took third.The competition took place at a high school in Bristol, Conn. Following their performances, the students spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the rides at the nearby Lake Compounce amusement park. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) David Pogue for WestportNow.com