PHOTOS BY: ANDY ADAMS/LufkinISD
Over 72,900 students initially entered the All-State competitive process, and 1,780 students are selected to perform in 15 All-State ensembles (bands, orchestras, and choirs). Among those selected were three students from Lufkin High School, Philip Callaway, Paige Hoelewyn, and Alexis Martinez. Only the top 2.4% of musicians who initially audition become All-State musicians.
Philip Callaway, who sings tenor in choir, will be attending his second year at the state level. Paige Hoelewyn, soprano singer, is going for the first time but is continuing a family legacy. Her mom, dad and brother have all made all-state in choir in previous years. Alexis Martinez will be playing the euphonium in the band. This will be the second time in three years a student from the Panther Marching Band was selected for All-State playing the euphonium.
All-State performances will be held as part of the annual TMEA Clinic/Convention, Feb. 13–16, 2019. Over 29,000 people from Texas and around the world will attend over 300 workshops, 100 performances, and visit over 1,400 exhibit booths at this nation’s largest music educators convention.
The Texas All-State performance will be in San Antonio, Saturday, February 16, 2019 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center as part of the 2019 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention.
High school students selected to perform in the All-State concerts have competed through auditions to qualify at the state level. All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive. 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.
These All-State students participate in three days of rehearsals directed by nationally-recognized conductors during the TMEA Clinic/Convention. Their performances for thousands of attendees bring this extraordinary event to a close. For the All-State concert schedule and conductor information, go to the Performances section of www.tmea.org/convention.
The Texas Music Educators Association is an association of over 13,500 school music educators dedicated to promoting excellence in music education. Go to www.tmea.org/convention for more information.