Congrats to the following students who have been selected as 2025 TMEA All-State Musicians! We are proud of you for your hard work!
Judy Yan – Sinfonietta Violin 97
Eric Wang – Symphony Viola 4
Dai Nakagawa – Symphony Viola 6
William Xie – Symphony Viola 10
Keon Attarha – Sinfonietta Viola 38
Kyle Park – Symphony Cello 15
Julian Wang – Philharmonia Bass 24
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.
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.
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.