14 Spartans Hit a High Note at the Texas Private School Music Educators Association All State Ensembles

Hard work, dedication and passion paid off for 14 Spartans who earned a prestigious spot to perform recently alongside other top tier student musicians in the Texas Private School Music Educators Association (TPSMEA) All State Ensembles. The Middle and Upper School students, representing choir, concert band, jazz band and orchestra, traveled to Richardson, Texas to prepare and perform in the Eisemann Performing Arts Center.

Acceptance into a TPSMEA All State ensemble signifies a high level of musical ability, achieved through a rigorous audition process, allowing students to work with renowned clinicians, sing with talented peers from across the state and gain recognition as dedicated high-quality musicians — which can also be beneficial for college applications.

The rigorous all state audition process began in the fall when thousands of students from across Texas prepared to compete for positions in each select ensemble. The results were announced in December and all students and their directors met for three days in Richardson. The time was filled with intense rehearsals with nationally known guest directors and culminated in a public performance on January 25, 2025 at the Eisemann Performing Arts Center in Richardson, Texas.
 
“They performed with precision and beauty!” said John Moon, SSES director of orchestras and chamber music. "Our students gained valuable experience performing with the best of the best from the state of Texas. The performances reached a very high level of musical depth. I am so proud of our students."

Four SSES choir students had the opportunity to sing under world-renowned conductor Dr. Anton Armstrong from St. Olaf College for the 3-day clinic and concert. 

“[Dr. Armstrong] pushed us to a new level, and by the time we performed, it felt like we were singing entirely different pieces,” said Humberto Marrufo-Zubaran '25.

SSES Choir Director Kendra Lipman echoed his sentiments, and said the standards were extremely high.

“The transformation the students made over the three days was truly phenomenal,” said Lipman. “You could see the pride in their faces at the concert. I am very proud of them for representing St. Stephen's so well!”

Among the talented group of St. Stephen’s musicians were two students who have been selected four years in a row — Kevin Li ’25 (cello) and Thomas Guan ’25 (bass). There were also first-timers like tenor saxophone player Caden McMahen ’28 who said he and his peers put in about 17 hours of playing over the performance weekend. 
 
“I had a great time practicing and performing all the music,” said McMahen. “All of it sounded great with the whole band in the concert hall, and it was great to talk to some of the other all-staters.”
 
Jazz Band instructor Dave Sayers was also blown away by the entire experience.
 
"It was a joy to hear my students rehearse and perform with other students from all parts of Texas,” said Dave Sayers, Middle and Upper School jazz band instructor. “I'm looking forward to hearing them at the festival next year!"
 
 
Congratulations to the following SSES All State performers:
 
Athena Toba-Keith ’29 (violin)
Caden Chen ’29 (8th violin)
Anwyn Wang ’28 (violin)
Caden McMahen ’28 (saxophone)
Scott Ma ’27 (violin)
Sam Shea ’27 (violin)
Nicolas Wang ’27 (bassoon)
John Wells ’26 (jazz trumpet)
Kevin Li ’25 (cello) 4 year member
Thomas Guan ’25 (bass) 4 year member
Rex Lauryssen ’25 (vocalist)
Eric Xu ’25 (vocalist)
Steven Wen ’25 (vocalist)
Humberto Maruffo-Zubaran ’25 (vocalist)
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Address: 6500 St. Stephen's Dr., Austin, TX 78746
Phone: (512) 327-1213