A whopping 40 Leander ISD high school band and choir students earned a spot in a Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State ensemble, nearly doubling last year’s total of 22. Every LISD high school had at least one student make either All-State Choir or Band. The students, by high school, are:

Choir

Cedar Park High School:

Lindsay Dove – Soprano 1

Ally McKeon – Alto 1

Ryan Sawicki – Tenor 1

Caden Teliha – Tenor 2

Emma Vaughn – Soprano 2

Leander High School:

Mia Boyd – Soprano 1

Ethan Grinstead – Bass 2

Rouse High School

Jon-Paul Lopez – Tenor 1

Vandegrift High School

Cade Conville – Tenor Bass Choir

Jonathon Miller – Tenor Bass Choir

Akash Shah – Tenor Bass Choir

Sam Smoot – Mixed Choir

Vista Ridge High School

Meghna Vergis – Alto 2

Band

Glenn High School

Ellie Slaton – Bb Clarinet

Cedar Park High School

Jacob Cohen – Alto Sax

William Lambert – Bari Sax

Aaron Luckenbill – Bassoon

Miles Merrill – Bb Clarinet

Ethan Usrey – Tenor Sax

Leander High School

Mark Bennett – Trombone

Rouse High School

Faustina Beltran- Oboe

Ryan Bonnet – Percussion

Matthew Drum – Euphonium

Jackson Ocampo – Trumpet

Katelynn Peeples – Clarinet

Areg Vartanian – Trombone

Vandegrift High School

Nathan Cong – Bass Clarinet

Ryan Hogarth – Bb Clarinet

Inbo Shim – Alto Sax

Amaan Syed – Tenor Trombone

Sophie Wills – Flute

Vista Ridge High School

Payton Atkinson – Horn

Hunter Bellows – Euphonium

Glenn Choe – Percussion

Zoe Fisher – Horn

Luke Hatch – English Horn

Minji Kim – Bb Clarinet

Ashley Painter – Bassoon

Elias Taira – Tuba

Tanner Walterman – Bb Clarinet

“The audition process to earn a spot in a TMEA All-State group is arduous,” LISD Fine Arts Director Peter Warshaw said. “These students have worked hard for a long period of time to reach this level of success, and their accomplishment is a reflection of their dedication as well as that of their teachers and directors.

TMEA sponsors the Texas All-State audition process to promote students’ dedication to their musical knowledge and skill and to encourage TMEA member directors to support their students in this development. Beginning each fall, over 70,000 high school students across the state audition in their TMEA Region. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. A select group of musicians advances to compete against musicians from other Regions in their TMEA Area. The highest-ranking musicians judged at the TMEA Area competitions qualify to perform in one of 15 Texas All-State Bands, Orchestras, and Choirs. These All-State ensembles rehearse for three days, directed by nationally recognized conductors, and perform on the closing day of the annual TMEA Clinic/Convention.