West Texas A&M University’s Chorale Choir and Symphonic Band have been invited to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) showcase, which takes place Feb. 7 to 10 in San Antonio. TMEA is an organization of Texan musicians who come together to hold a showcase every year for the study, critique, performance and enjoyment of musicians, by musicians and for musicians, right here in the Lone Star State.
“There will be 30,000 people that meet at the convention, so it’s really the largest convention associated with music of any kind in the country,” Dr. Sean Pullen, director of choral activities, said. “Part of that has to do with the fact that Texas is such a big state, but it’s also the fact that we have such great music programs in our schools.”
To perform at the TMEA showcase, musicians must be invited, and in order to be invited, the TMEA requires an audition.
“We send in recordings for the audition, they’ll ask you to send in recordings from the last four years,” Pullen said. “So you want to send in your best, and hope that it’s strong enough to impress [the TMEA judges].”
The students going to perform at the showcase have been preparing for some time; they started learning some numbers last year.
“I feel very prepared,” Grace Ghertner, a senior and Chorale member, said. “We have been working on this music since the first week of classes. [Dr. Pullen] actually gave us some of the songs back in May, so we’ve been working on it.”
Opportunities to travel for competitions or performances often are part of creative degree programs. The Chorale and Symphonic Band are no different.
“It was just such an exciting moment when [Dr. Pullen] told us, because when you submit [auditions], you never really know the odds and if they’re in your favor,” McKenna Cooper, a senior and Chorale member, said.
These performances will not be the first time WT and the School of Music have been invited to the showcase.
“You have to wait four years after you’ve auditioned to start auditioning again. Once you perform, they [TMEA] want to start inviting other groups,” Pullen said. “The last time we performed was 2016; we went through the same audition process.”
The showcase is not only a space to get feedback from other musicians but also a place to help prepare students for a career.
“I’ve never been to TMEA; I’ve talked to many teachers. And I myself am planning on being a teacher,” Brady Fellers, a junior and Chorale member, said. “I’m very excited to see the knowledge and wisdom that takes place. How directors will conduct their students.”
Cooper said that attending and performing at the TMEA showcase is “the biggest honor in Texas.”
“It’s wonderful to showcase our talent and hopefully open people’s eyes to what we have to offer here,” Cooper said.
