A record 49 Brownsville Independent School District choral and instrumental music students are headed to the 2022 Texas Music Educators Convention and Clinic this week in San Antonio as members of All-State choirs, bands, orchestras and ensembles.
Qualifying for TMEA All-State participation represents the pinnacle of achievement for Texas music students. This year, the competitive audition process began with more than 70,000 students from around the state. In the end, the revered title of “All-Stater” was given to only 1,875 top-tier musicians.
They will participate in three days of rehearsals starting Thursday directed by nationally recognized conductors. Their experience will culminate in concerts for thousands of attendees on Saturday at the Henry B. González Convention Center.
Among the notable achievements by this year’s group:
>> Four instrumentalists have fulfilled their goals of earning a chair in the All-State Band for four consecutive years: Brandon Sanchez of Pace Early College High School, Diego Arias of Rivera Early College High School, and Michael Arizmendi and Orlando Perez of Veterans Memorial Early College High School.
>> Cullen Douglas, tenor saxophonist from Lopez Early College High School, earned the top chair in the state for his instrument.
>> The Veterans Memorial Choir set a new record within BISD with 11 vocalists.
>> With 28 instrumentalists and 21 vocalists, BISD surpassed its own records of 26 instrumentalists set in 2020 and 20 vocalists set in 2016.
Here are BISD’s All-State musicians:
HANNA CHOIR
Kristen Salinas – Soprano I, Mixed Choir
LOPEZ CHOIR
Mia Gracia – Soprano I, Treble Choir
Jesus Guevara – Tenor II, Mixed Choir
Frank Quintero – Bass I, Mixed Choir
PACE CHOIR
Starlika Bauskar – Soprano I, Mixed Choir
Sarah Hinojosa – Alto I, Mixed Choir
Jaquelynn Gordillo – Alto I, Treble Choir
Diego Morales – Bass I, Tenor-Bass Choir
RIVERA CHOIR
Ariel Rubio – Soprano I, Mixed Choir
Breanne Ruiz – Alto II, Mixed Choir
VETERANS MEMORIAL CHOIR
Yareli Lira – Soprano II, Mixed Choir
Abigail Padilla – Alto I, Mixed Choir
Iliana Mata – Alto II, Treble Choir
John Paul Savino – Tenor I, Mixed Choir
Campy Rodriguez – Tenor I, Mixed Choir
Jacob Leal – Tenor I, Tenor-Bass Choir
Tristan Landgraf – Tenor II, Mixed Choir
Reynaldo Garza – Tenor II, Tenor-Bass Choir
Cesar Suarez – Tenor II, Tenor-Bass Choir
Adrian Martinez – Bass I, Mixed Choir
Adrian Escobar – Bass II, Mixed Choir
HANNA BAND
Isabella Guevara – Oboe, Concert Band
Noe Reyes – Bb Clarinet, Concert Band
Jonathan Martinez – Bb Clarinet, Concert Band
Marco Lopez – Contrabass Clarinet, 6A Symphonic Band
Cruz Leyva – Alto Saxophone, Concert Band
Francisco Figueroa – Baritone Saxophone, 6A Symphonic Band
David Gonzalez – French Horn, Philharmonic Orchestra
Raul Martinez – French Horn, Philharmonic Orchestra
Dylan Roberts – Trombone, Concert Band
Jorge Perez – Percussion, Philharmonic Orchestra
LOPEZ BAND
Luis Rangel – Bb Clarinet, 5A Symphonic Band
Cullen Douglas – Tenor Saxophone, 5A Symphonic Band
PACE BAND
Isai Martinez – Eb Clarinet, 5A Symphonic Band
Olivia Blanco – Eb Clarinet, Concert Band
Angel Santillan – Bb Clarinet, 5A Symphonic Band
Brandon Sanchez – Bb Clarinet, Concert Band
Angel Sanchez – Bass Clarinet, Philharmonic Orchestra
PORTER BAND
Karen Galan – Bb Clarinet, Sinfonietta Orchestra
RIVERA BAND
Diego Arias – Flute, 6A Symphonic Band
Sebastian Vega – Bb Clarinet, Concert Band
Jose Coronado – Tuba, Concert Band
VETERANS MEMORIAL BAND
Raymundo Benavidez – Bassoon, 5A Symphonic Band
Hector Montoya – Trumpet, 5A Symphonic Band
Luis Paz – Trumpet, Sinfonietta Orchestra
Orlando Perez – Trumpet, Symphony Orchestra
Michael Arizmendi – Trumpet, Philharmonic Orchestra
Joshua Gault – Trombone, 5A Symphonic Band
Ricardo Perez – Percussion, 5A Percussion Ensemble
Founded in 1921, Texas Music Educators Association is an association of more than 14,000 members dedicated to promoting excellence in music education. For the All-State concert schedule and conductor information, go to the Performances section of www.tmea.org/convention.
