Wednesday, May 1, 2024
During the board meeting of the Gatesville Independent School District, the GHS choir was acknowledged by the board for their recent accomplishments. GISD Superintendent Dr. Barrett Pollard issued the following statement of praise about the choir:
One of the most elite accomplishments as a high school musician is to earn a seat in one of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State ensembles (choir, band, orchestra) and get to be a part of the convention in February. Over 16,000 choir students state-wide start this process in the summer/fall, and through three rounds of intense auditions, only 600 will make an all-state ensemble. Specifically, in the Small School All-State Mixed Choir, there were over 2,200 who started the process, and only 112 seats in that choir. Ultimately, GHS placed two students in the All-State Choir, and one 1st Alternate (this is a school record). Anna Phillips placed 3rd chair in alto. Paisley Wells placed 3rd chair in tenor. Memphis Wells placed 5th chair in bass, making him 1st alternate, as our area only gets four seats in the All-State Choir from each voice part.
In February, we took 21 students to the Regional UIL Solo & Ensemble Contest, and all of them received either a superior or excellent rating. Those who performed a Class 1 "advanced" solo and received a superior rating have advanced to the Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest, and we are proud to say we have 11 who are going to state. (this is another school record). Those 11 students are: Eli Alvarez, Devyn Ayala, Nahdiah Appleton, Nevin Benning, Coral Bryant, Ranya Garraway, Katie Hopson, Anna Phillips, Paisley Wells, Roman Wallace, and Memphis Wells.
