Posted Date: 01/30/2025
January 28, 2025 – Some big honors are ahead this month for AISD high school and middle school students, marking the highest possible achievements for Texas music students.
Eleven of the state’s top-ranked Amarillo ISD high school musicians will perform as part of the TMEA All-State Bands, choirs and orchestras February 12-15 in San Antonio. The Bonham Middle School Advanced Men’s Choir is also one of just 14 choirs invited to perform at the event. Both achievements are the highest honors Texas music students can receive.
High school students selected to perform in the All-State concerts have competed through auditions to qualify at the state level. 1,875 students were selected through a process that began with over 70,000 students from around the state vying for this honor to perform in one of 18 ensembles. Texas Music Educators Association sponsors the Texas All-State competition.
This competitive process begins throughout the state in auditions hosted by 33 TMEA Regions. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advances from their Region to compete against musicians from other areas in eight TMEA Area competitions. The highest-ranking musicians judged at the TMEA Area competitions qualify to perform in a TMEA All-State music group. Only the top 2.6% of musicians who initially audition become All-State musicians.
Amarillo High orchestra violinist Quan Nguyen is the number one ranked violinist in the state. He and the following AISD students were selected for the 2025 TMEA All-State Ensembles:
Orchestra
Quan Nguyen - Amarillo High
Choir
Julianna Belcher - Amarillo High
Aubrey Denton - Amarillo High
Javier Dieguez - Amarillo High
Suzette Hernandez - Caprock High
Maxwell Sawyer - Tascosa High
Camden McWhorter - Tascosa High
Audrey White - Tascosa High
Band
Nathan Smith - Amarillo High
Zachary Barner - Amarillo High
Jaxon Denniston - Tascosa High
TMEA Honor Choir
Bonham Middle School Advanced Men’s Choir