55 Plainview High School choral students advance to state competition
Plainview High School students walked away with 116 1st Division medals and 55 students advancing to the state competition following the Region 16 UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest hosted by Frenship High School.
PHS entered 129 choral students in the competition. The group awarded first division medals included the PHS Chamber Singers and students performing non-advancing state solos and ensembles.
The students advancing to the state competition at the University of Texas in Austin on May 28 include 24 soloists and 5 madrigal ensembles that consist of 8-10 performers per group. The soloists are students from the following PHS choirs: Varsity A Cappella Choir, the Advanced Treble Choir, and the Advanced Tenor-Bass Choir.
For competition, soloists performed selections of art song literature from the Classical and Romantic time periods. Students sang selections in other languages including German, Italian, and Latin. All literature was required to be performed from memory.
PHS choral director, Dr. Debra Buford explained that students spent almost two months preparing their repertoire for the event which included consistent vocal coaching, rehearsing every day, self-discipline, and willingness to change and correct physical attributes to improve vocal tone and projection.
“The competition music is difficult,” said Dr. Buford. “Students in these groups cannot be conducted, nor are they allowed to use any instrumentation for pitch. Students had to practice setting their own tempos, starting, stopping, and developing dynamic lines that occurred intrinsically with each performance member.”
The five madrigal ensembles performed a cappella music from the Renaissance period. The ensembles advancing to state comprise over 75 percent of the entire A Cappella choir membership.
In preparation for competition, the PHS students received daily vocal coaching from Dr. Buford and choral director Sally Bass. Charles Carmarena and Walter Wright also assisted with vocal coaching during the last two weeks before regionals. Dr. Buford explained that the UIL soloists require daily individual coaching that must be done outside of the regular classroom hours. Coaching and rehearsals took place for 2-3 hours every day after school.
Dr. Buford shared that several judges asked her and Mrs. Bass “What is in the water in Plainview?”
“The judges were impressed with the abundance of talent from such a small community and complimented the students on their talent and work ethic,” Dr. Buford said. “The Plainview community should be very proud of the way these students represented our town and our school system. We are state bound and proud!”
Students advancing to state include:
Madrigal 1: Emily Franklin, Ashley Gauntt, Alyssa Hurta, Lauren Hukill, Mitch Sims, Caleb Aguirre, Timothy Franklin, Grayson Moore, and Lainie Nelson.
Madrigal 2: Allyson Solis, Gillian Gonzales, Brittany Wren, Maggie Hernandez, Madi Carson, Angelina Saiz, Joseph Alcozer, Kyle Mayberry, Raiden Gonzalez, Gustavo Navarette
Madrigal 3: J.J. Rodriguez, Patrick Cisneros, Peter Guajardo, Malachi Reyes, Ara Maldonado, Carsen Miles, Sage Landeros, Alexis Shedd, and Natalia Luevero.
Madrigal 4: Colby Velez, Damien Borgas, Lanija Walzer, Isabel Campos, Abby Cain, Nayeli Benavides, Lulu Leal, Josh Snellgrove, Kenny Hernandez, and Karla Luiz.
Madrigal 5: McKinley Whalen, Camarie Henderson, Emily Ballard, Catherine Delgado, Emily Collins, Jaicei Luera, Josue Hernandez, Kyle McClenagan, Benjamin Brooks, and Ryan Brundage.
Soloists: Anthony Acosta, Caleb Aguirre, Joseph Alcozer, Emily Ballard, Madi Carson, Estrella Chairez, Emily Collins, Catherine Delgado, Gillian Gonzales, Josue Hernandez, Maggie Hernandez, Samantha Hernandez, Ceasar Ibarra, Kole Mayberry, Kyle McClenagan, Lainie Nelson, Timothy Reyes, Isabel Reyes, Cesar Rodriguez, J.J. Rodriguez, Samm Rollins, Allyson Solis, McKinley Whalen, and Jacoby Wooley.
