McHi mariachi oro

Four students from McAllen High School have earned four of just 18 spots in the inaugural TMEA All-State Mariachi Ensemble. 

This is the first year for the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) to hold All-State Mariachi auditions and hundreds of students submitted audio files. The McAllen High All-State students include:

•           Jesús Villegas (1st Chair Trumpet)
•           Ashley Treviño (5th Chair Violin)
•           Natalie Carmona (1st Chair Guitar)
•           Austin Rosález (1st Chair Vihuela)

McAllen High School had the second-highest number of All-State musicians and earned the highest number of First Chair spots out of all competing schools.

“What an incredible accomplishment for our students and kudos to them for staying on top of their game focused and engaged during these difficult times,” McAllen High Mariachi Oro Instructor Alex Trevino said. “They are now part of this elite TMEA All-State Ensemble and will go down in history as being a part of the very first one."

Special note from Mr. Trevino

A HUGE Congratulations go out to our 4 Mariachi TMEA All-Staters! In the inaugural year of the TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) All-State Mariachi Ensemble, hundreds of students from across the State of Texas rehearsed and then auditioned and competed in a rigorous and challenging multiple round process over the course of the last couple of months. Students competed against the best of the best of each region to advance to the final round at the state level where they went up against hundreds of the very best from around the state and were selected by the top mariachi educators and musicians in the state!  TMEA requires mariachi students to audition not only instrumentally, but also vocally, making these auditions even more challenging and one of a kind. This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all rounds of TMEA auditions were held virtually through uploaded recordings into a newly developed audition software through the Music First Management System. 

It gives us great pleasure and extreme pride to announce that 4 of our very talented and hardworking students were selected as part of an exclusive and extremely elite group of only 18 TMEA Mariachi All-Staters! Additionally, McAllen High School had the 2nd highest number of All-Staters in the State and, furthermore, earned the HIGHEST NUMBER of 1st Chair Spots out of ALL competing schools across the entire State of Texas! In fact, no other school in the State earned more than one 1st Chair spot besides McHi! What an incredible accomplishment for our students and kudos to them for staying on top of their game focused and engaged during these difficult times! What makes it even more special is that we share these students with Orchestra, Band, and Choir and all of them had multiple rounds of other auditions going on as well throughout this entire process over the last couple of months. These talented and versatile students were auditioning and preparing for Orchestra, Band, Choir, and Jazz as well as a National Vocal Competition all at once juggling 2, 3, and even 4 auditions simultaneously! Additionally, these students also went above and beyond and earned spots in the All-Region ensembles for Orchestra, Band, and Choir, further attesting to their talent, commitment, and unparalleled work ethic along with their ability to excel and dominate across various musical genres and styles! 

 All in all, what these young men and women have accomplished is nothing short of SPECTACULAR! In a normal year, these students would be taking part in weeklong clinics during the annual TMEA Convention in San Antonio, TX and would close out the week with a grand concert at the Lila Cockrell Theatre. This year, due to the pandemic, students will get to be a part of virtual clinics as well as virtual concert performances which will be announced soon. 

Congratulations go out to these incredibly talented and hardworking students, their parents, and their directors!

Natalie Carmona (1st Chair Guitar)
Ashley Treviño (5th Chair Violin)

Austin Rosález (1st Chair Vihuela)
Jesús Villegas (1st Chair Trumpet)

They are now part of this very elite TMEA All-State Ensemble and will go down in history as being a part of the very first one! This is without a doubt a HUGE DEAL and an exceptional and incredible honor for all involved!