The Plano West Chamber Orchestra is pleased to be named the “state champion” 2025 TMEA String Honor Orchestra! In February, the PWSH Chamber Orchestra will perform at the TMEA Convention in San Antonio, marking the program’s 10th performance at TMEA. It is particularly exciting to share that Jasper HS earned second place in the same competition – a remarkable showing for our cluster!

The success we have at Plano West is absolutely rooted in the excellent music instruction our students receive at Jasper, Shepton, Rice, Robinson, Renner, Frankford, and our community of private music instructors.

We also congratulate the other finalists on their wonderful performances, each conclusively demonstrating that music education is alive and well in Texas!

Congratulations to the following students for the selection to a Region 25 All-Region ensemble! Students marked with a * have qualified to record for All-State.

Violin Symphony

Judy Yan 8*, Lois Tam 12 *, Emily Dong 13*, Annie Li 14*, Alexander Yu 16*, Julian Chapman 20*, Emily Si 30*, Kierten Gentapanan 31 *, Yulhee Cho 33, Lucas Lin 37

Violin Philharmonic

Lynnse Ogishima 47, Faizan Masroor 56, Aditya Saran 58, Honoka Mortia, 78

Viola Symphony

Eric Wang 1*, Dai Nakagawa 2*, William Xie 5*, Boon Bin Tong 6*, Jerry Wang 7*, Keon Attarha 11*,

Viola Philharmonic

Ian Xue 17*, Aayush Appan 18*, Nathanael Tang 19*, Cara Lin 20*, Zhenyi Song 25, Evelyn Ding 27, Cara Xu 30, Anya Li 32, Anna Shiue Alternate

Cello Symphony

Kyle Park 1*, Ethan Fan 7*, Alex Chen 8*,

Cello Philharmonic

Lexing Wei 20*, Jasper Lin 23, Anthony Chen 28, Zach To 29, Ava Li 30

Symphony Bass

Julian Wang 2*, Alisa Nakamura 7*

Bass Philharmonic

Ryan Boll 11*, Riley Graham 19

Piano

Amanda Yi 3*

Dear Students,

Below, you will find a link to find your orchestra placement for next school year.  Students are listed by student ID, and it does not reflect your placement within your ensemble. I suggest you use Ctrl-F to find your number.

The nature of auditions is that some people are happy with their placements, but others feel some disappointment.  Please understand that Mrs. Gross and I spent a great deal of time working through the audition results to guarantee that everyone is in the group that will allow them to succeed, but also to become better musicians.  Most importantly, please don’t let the results define you as a musician or as a person.  In the end, none of this matters that much. But the work that you will do (or not do) means everything about who you will become as a person. In other words, grow where you are planted.

If you’re disappointed, please consider a few points:

1. The level of competition at West is high.  Really high.  The upside of this is that all of our orchestras really play beyond their apparent level.  For example, the third orchestra at West is playing at a level much higher than the top orchestra at most schools in Texas. Regardless of the group you’re in, it is going to be good.

2. It is totally normal to be in a “lower” group at West than you were in at Shepton or Jasper. Juniors, remember that you were auditioning against seniors with more experience and against talented players from the other high school.  Believe me, though, that the level of music we will be playing in the groups will not in any way be a step back from what you are accustomed to.

Later in the summer, counselors will let us know if there are conflicts in your schedule. Mrs. Gross and I will work those out for you – if there’s something we need to discuss with you in that regard, we will send you an email or call.

Remember that this upcoming year, every student may elect to take orchestra for honors credit. At the beginning of the year, we will fully review the requirements so you can make your final decision and opt in or out.

RESULTS

Congratulations to the following PWSH students for earning a spot in the highly competitive Texas All-State Orchestras!

Violin

Steven Lu (#1 in the state!), Judy Yan (92 Sinfonietta)

Viola

Randy Guo (8 Symphony), Nathan Wu (9 Symphony), Williams Xie (14 Symphony), Keon Attarha (24 Philharmonic), Bryan Tong (40 Sinfonietta)

Bass

Julian Wang (29 Sinfonietta)

Congratulations to the following students selected to a Region 25 All-Region Orchestra! Students listed with an asterisks (*) have qualified to record for All-State.

Violin Symphony

Steven Lu (1*), Nina Huang (6*), Judy Yan (16*), Linden Ni (23*), Ray You (26*), Annie Li (32), Julian Chapman (33), Grace Tam (38)

Violin Philharmonic

Kylie Hung (41), Kaori Shioyama (45), Lynnse Ogishima (46), Sonya Shah (47), Emily Si (57), Aaditya Dhar (70), Austin Jones (Alternate)

Viola Symphony

William Xie (3*), Keon Attarha (7*), Randy Guo (8*), Nathan Wu (10*), Bryan Tong (16*)

Viola Philharmonic

Evelyn Ding (18), Caru Xu (21), Siya Patel (26), Cara Lin (30), Nate Tang (alternate)

Symphony Cello

Alex Chen (15*), Jasper Lin (16*)

Symphony Philharmonic

Teddy Xiong (18), Amir Suhail (20), Maddox Lin (21), Bryan Kim (23), Anthony Chen (28), Ava Li (alternate)

Symphony Bass

Julian Wang (1*), Claire Sasaki (3*), Aidan Wang (4*)

Bass Philharmonic

Chelsea DeRoach (13*)

Symphony Harp

Nina Zucconi (1*)

Dear Students,

Below, you will find a link to find your orchestra placement for next school year.  Students are listed by student ID, and it does not reflect your placement within your ensemble. I suggest you use Ctrl-F to find your number.

The nature of auditions is that some people are happy with their placements, but others feel some disappointment.  Please understand that Mrs. Gross and I spent a great deal of time working through the audition results to guarantee that everyone is in the group that will allow them to succeed, but also to become better musicians.  Most importantly, please don’t let the results define you as a musician or as a person.  In the end, none of this matters that much. But the work that you will do (or not do) means everything about who you will become as a person. In other words, grow where you are planted.

If you’re disappointed, please consider a few points:

1. The level of competition at West is high.  Really high.  The upside of this is that all of our orchestras really play beyond their apparent level.  For example, the third orchestra at West is playing at a level much higher than the top orchestra at most schools in Texas. Regardless of the group you’re in, it is going to be good.

2. It is totally normal to be in a “lower” group at West than you were in at Shepton or Jasper. Juniors, remember that you were auditioning against seniors with more experience and against talented players from the other high school.  Believe me, though, that the level of music we will be playing in the groups will not in any way be a step back from what you are accustomed to.

Later in the summer, counselors will let us know if there are conflicts in your schedule. Mrs. Gross and I will work those out for you – if there’s something we need to discuss with you in that regard, we will send you an email or call.

Remember that this upcoming year, every student may elect to take orchestra for honors credit. At the beginning of the year, we will fully review the requirements so you can make your final decision and opt in or out.

RESULTS

Location
Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel
900 E Lookout Dr
Richardson, TX 75082

Timeline
6:30 – 7pm: Check In. Each school will have their own check-in table.
7-9: Dinner and Presentations
9-11: Dance

Traffic can be heavy at this time of day, so budget a bit longer than you think it will take to get there.

If you are being picked up at 11, please be certain your ride is on time

Attire
Semi-formal is required. Shorts, jeans, and other casual clothing are not permitted.

Dropoff
If you are being dropped off by a parent, they should drop you at the Renaissance entrance on Plaza Drive (east side of the hotel). Pickup is at 11, and they should be on time to pick you up.

Parking
You must use the parking garage on Plaza Drive, on the east side of the Renaissance Hotel. When you pull in to the parking garage, you will receive a parking ticket on cardstock. YOU MUST BRING THIS TICKET IN TO THE BANQUET WITH YOU!

When you check-in at the banquet, there will be a “parking validation” machine. You must stick your parking ticket in to that machine to have it validated – this will allow you to leave the parking garage for free. If you forget to validate your parking ticket, you will likely be charged to leave the parking garage at the end of the night.

Do not park anywhere on the surrounding streets! Most of the parking in the area is permit-only for area apartments, and you will be towed at your expense.

BRAVO and CONGRATULATIONS to the following All-State Orchestra musicians! This is a tremendous accomplishment and a wonderful reward for your hard work!

Violin: Steven Lu (Symphony 12), Sophia Wang (Symphony 26), Tarun Ramji (Symphony 29), Raghu Talla (Symphony 37), Jaeha Jung (Philharmonic 60), Lindsey Cho (81 Sinfonietta), Nina Huang (92 Sinfonietta)

Viola: Ashish Samson (Symphony 3), Ian Chen (Symphony 5), Nathan Wu (Symphony 7), Laura Tan (Symphony 14), Randy Guo (Philharmonic 21), Christopher Lee (Philharmonic 23)

Cello: Derek He (Symphony 12), Henry Zhang (Philharmonic 28)

This February, our full orchestra (strings and band) and choir have the incredible opportunity to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio! A performance of this nature is the highest honor for a music ensemble in Texas, and we are incredibly excited for this performance of a lifetime.

The district is helping to support some of our travel costs, but we need to raise approximately $7,500 additional dollars for travel. Please support us with whatever you can spare. The Plano West Orchestra Boosters are a 501(c)3 organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by tax law.

If you would rather send in a check rather than donate online, all donations can be made out to the Plano West Orchestra Boosters, and those checks can be given to any band, orchestra, or choir teacher.

Click here to go to the donation page!

Congratulations to the following students selected to a Region 25 All-Region Orchestra! Students listed with an asterisks (*) have qualified to record for All-State.

Symphony Violin

Sophia Wang 1*, Steven Lu 2*, Nina Huang 3*, Lindsey Cho 8*, Jaeha Jung 11*, Ray You 15*, Raghu Talla 16*, Tarun Ramji 17*, Grace Tam 23*, Alan Zhou 30, Sarah Chen 33, Matt Ogata 37

Philharmonic Violin

Kaori Shioyama 41, Marcel Yu 45, Manasvini Komandur 47, Kylie Hung 49, Chris Wong 55, Julie Jung 58, Linden Ni 59, Emily Lou 75, Aaditya Dhar 79, Sonya Shah 80, Dana Kim Alternate

Viola Symphony

Ashish Samson 1*, Ian Chen 2*, Laura Tan 3*, Christopher Lee 4*, Nathan Wu 5*, Randy Guo 13*, Anele Saige 16*

Viola Philharmonic

Siya Patel 27, Charles Cheung 31

Cello Symphony

Derek He 6*, Henry Zhang 10*, Amir Suhail 11*, Ian Wang 15*

Cello Philharmonic

Leslie Looi 18, Teddy Xiong 22, Andrew Napier 27, Maddox Lin 28, Eric Pan-Wang 31, Eric Shi Alternate

Symphony Bass

Claire Sasaki 4*, Aidan Wang 5*, Chelsea DeRoach 7*

Philharmonic Bass

Lucas Daniel 19