Six months in the making, two students inducted in All-State Choir

Pictured: All-Region finalists pose for a picture at the TMEA-sponsored concert. After advancing past the first round of auditions and becoming All-Region finalists, several choir students prepare for phase 2 of All-State auditions Saturday at Little Elm High School beginning at 9 a.m.

Caroline Caruso, Assistant Editor-in-Chief
January 11, 2022

Out of a sea of more than 15,000 applicants, two choir students, senior Jane Wester, and junior Shriya Pattangi, have been chosen to represent the Redhawks in the TMEA 2021-2022 All-State Choir.

“To have two in All-State this year is a huge accomplishment,” campus choir director Toni Ugolini said. “No other school in our region had more than two, so it’s a huge deal to be one of the top 500 in the state. They both worked really hard to get here. To have that pay off for them, I’m just really happy that they’ve gotten to do that.”

Six months, four cut rounds, and seven audition pieces later, the advancement to All-State is a first for senior Jane Wester.

“They have a big ceremony where they announce the names of the people who made it, so hearing my name called was a huge relief,” Wester said. “I was really excited, I haven’t made it before. It is all a pretty new experience to me.”

For Pattangi, the audition process gifted her both rigor and fulfillment.

“The music is definitely not easy, it was definitely a balancing act,” she said. “I really had to plan my day properly to have time for my studies as well as music. The initial learning process was the hardest overall. But through my time practicing, I fell in love with the pieces and I’m grateful that I have this opportunity.”