The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition To Take NJ By Storm on November 15

Now in its fourth year as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival at NJPAC, the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, also known as the SASSY awards, has chosen five jazz singers to perform in the Victoria Theater. This international jazz vocal competition for women, the only one of its kind, honors the talent of its namesake by giving one outstanding performer a platform to embark on a career in the music business.

The grand prize winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize, an offer for a record deal with Concord Music Group, a trip to Canada to perform in the 2016 Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, and a personalized plaque. This year's judges include jazz singers Vanessa Rubin and Cyrille Aimée, bassist Christian McBride, WBGO's Michael Bourne and artist manager Edward Arrendell.

The 2015 finalists, announced by competition co-producers NJPAC and WBGO Jazz 88.3FM:

Emma Lee Aboukasm, who performs as Emmalee, is an award-winning, Detroit-based recording artist, vocalist, pianist and composer. Educated in classical and jazz music at the University of Michigan, she has performed in intimate venues like the Dirty Dog Jazz Café to expansive ones like the Detroit Jazz Festival. She recently co-produced her debut album, Rise to It, with pianist Scott Gwinnell. The album contains jazz standards and Aboukasm's original compositions.

Lulu Fall is a singer, songwriter and actor based in New York. A classically trained jazz vocalist with a musical theater background, she comes from Senegalese and Cameroonian parentage and her music reflects her global perspective and American sensibilities. Her credits include Arena Stage's Crowns; the Smithsonian's American Songbookprogram; and the Studio Theatre's production of Passing Strange. She was a featured ensemble member in Hair, both the first national tour and on Broadway.

Angela Hagenbach is a Kansas City businesswoman, the owner of AH Entertainment, Inc., Eden's Gate Music and Amazon Records, which released her 1994 debut recording, Come Fly with Me. Her albums have garnered critical praise from JazzTimes, Cadence magazine and National Public Radio. She toured Switzerland with Clark Terry and worked and recorded with Jimmy Heath, Russell Malone, Frank Foster's Big Band and others. Hagenbach has performed at festivals and concert halls around the world.

Arianna Neikrug, a native of Los Angeles, is a jazz, pop and R&B vocalist currently stationed in Miami. Only 22 years old, she has already shared the stage with various artists, including Steve Miller, Alice Cooper, Al Jarreau, George Benson and Roseanna Vitro. Neikrug has performed at some of the hottest jazz clubs in the U.S., such as the Catalina Jazz Club in Los Angeles and DazzleJazz in Denver. She recently won an outstanding soloist award in the college division of theNext Generation Jazz Festival.

Nicole Zuraitis is a Brooklyn-based vocalist and pianist whose innovative sound is inspired by world travel experience. A 2014 winner of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award, she bridges genres by utilizing her unparalleled vocals. Zuraitis was a semifinalist in the National American Traditions Vocal Competition this year, taking home both the People's Choice and Johnny Mercer awards. Her two self-released albums are Pariah Anthem and Spread the Word.

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