On Feb. 13, the Honor Band performed at the Lila Cockrell Theater for 2,200 people at the annual TMEA Clinic and Convention after earning the title of the 5A Honor Band. The band started their preparation at the start of the school year, working through the marching season and winter break.
“These major performances really give me the opportunity to give our students a window into what [it’s like] to get every detail and every bit of music to come out,” band director Ryan Johnstone said. “This is the closest thing our students get to feel of what it’s like to be a professional at a semi-professional level.”
The 60-minute performance encompasses Paul Hindemith’s 21-minute “Symphonic Metamorphosis,” “Celestial Bodies” by Harrison J. Collins and “O Magnum Mysterium,” which honors the late music educator and orchestrator H. Robert Reynolds among other pieces.
“My favorite piece is O Magnum Mysterium because I just love listening to it, I love the way it sounds,” senior oboe and English horn player Charlie Grandstaff said. “It has such a beautiful story, and it makes me feel really connected to the people I’m playing with.”
Additionally, the program includes a six-minute piece for six percussionists called Fandango-13, built around a marimba quartet.
“[Fandango] has helped me grow as both a player and an ensemble member,” sophomore percussionist Ajay Dev said. “It’s harder literature, so I’ve spent more time working on it, and it’s a lot more team-based. I’ve had to coordinate rehearsals and sectionals, and it’s helped me understand music better as a whole.”
For the seniors, this is the last major band event that will cap off their high school band experience.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling, playing in this ensemble with these people, and it’s something I’m going to miss,” Grandstaff said. “This one big thing where we can go to San Antonio is really special to have as my last big trip.”
This year, seven students made All-State, the highest possible achievement for a high school musician: senior flute player Dante Alden, junior clarinet player Chase Skemp, senior clarinet player Morgan Berkley, sophomore oboe player Reese Roaquin, senior trumpet player Carson Frank, sophomore French horn player Joseph Robb and freshman trumpet player Aaron Liao, who is the first student in the history of the band to make All-State from the second band.
“My favorite part of the All-State process is being with a group of people who are all striving for the same goal,” Roaquin said. “To just perform for a big audience and get a standing ovation after all of the months of learning the music and the repertoire.”