The Mount Pleasant High School Goin’ Gold Band set a new school record with 58 students earning 62 first division medals at the UIL Region IV Solo and Ensemble Contest and advancing to the State Solo and Ensemble contest to be held in Austin at the end of May. Students auditioned as a soloist and/or as part of an ensemble on Friday, February 24 in New Boston.

Soloists qualifying for state include Orion Senence (Trumpet) and Edward Moya (Snare Drum). Zoe Newman (Alto Saxophone) and Mauricio Farias (Tuba) also received division one ratings on their solo performances.

The following ensembles earned a division one rating and have advanced to state:

Gisselle Castillo, Suhey Lopez, Zoe Newman, and Shpat Zeqaj (Saxophone Quartet),

Bryan Garcia, Karli Hill, Ashley Pena, Bianca Quisitian, Alfredo Santillan, and Tawnny Swanson (Flute Choir),

Hannah Bowles, Jose Fuentes, Juanita Gutierrez, Jazzlyn Juarez, Andrew Perez, Viridiana Portillo, Kaylee Ramos, Araceli Solis, and Christopher Sorto (Clarinet Choir),

Julian Chancellor, Eli Hernandez, and Isaiah Sheppard (Miscellaneous Saxophone Ensemble),

Edgar Arias, Adriel Bagsic, Rachel Cato, Sebastian Contreras, Bruno Deleon, and Isaac Jetton (Brass Sextet),

Sebastian Campos, Sandy Farias, Luis Garcia, Nayeli Palacios, Orion Senence, and Juan Serna (Brass Sextet),

Madison Carpenter, Oscar Castellanos, Alex Castro, Angel Farias, Mauricio Farias, and Joel Palacios (Brass Sextet),

Jayden Adame, Dalia Balderas, Jose Romero, Alejandro Rosiles, Tawnny Swanson, and Krislynn Taylor (Percussion Ensemble),

Jamaree Armour, Grace Zittel, Ilse Ojendis, Armando Molina, Natalie Hines, and Luke Thurman (Percussion Ensemble),

Ethan Carillo, Pedro Castillo, Angel Fernandez, Giselle Perez, Alex Perez, and Francisco Zapata (Percussion Ensemble).

Junior Orion Senence, qualified for state as both a soloist and as part of an ensemble and junior Tawnny Swanson qualified for state as a part of two different ensembles.

Additionally, ten of the students qualified for state solo and ensemble as eighth-graders including Bryan Garcia, Alfredo Santillan, Isaiah Sheppard, Adriel Bagsic, Sebastian Contreras, Jayden Adame, Dalia Balderas, Jamaree Armour, Natalie Hines, and Pedro Castillo.

The UIL State Solo and Ensemble contest is scheduled for May 27-29 in Austin. The MPISD band program is under the direction of Dr. Theodus Luckett, Karen Luckett, Jamey Sterrett, Brian Bass, Alicia Hargett, and Sheri Sullivan.