Levi Caton, a member of the Sulphur Springs High School Wildcat Band, will perform with the Texas All-State Symphonic Band on trumpet in San Antonio, Saturday, February 11, 2023, at the Henry B. González Convention Center, as part of the 2023 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention.
Levi is the 9th student in school history to be named to the All-State Band. The first All-State band member from Sulphur Springs was Kelley Fletcher, who also performed on a trumpet, in 1980.
“We are so proud of Levi! This is the most impressive accomplishment any band student can achieve,” said Spencer Emmert, SSHS head director. “The All-State experience for me in 1998 was one of the top memories I have from high school. We look forward to seeing and hearing Levi at All-State, with the best musicians in all of Texas.”
Levi will sit in the same section that SSMS Head Director Brittany Robinett sat in for three of her four eligible years.
“Trumpet players are special, and I am so excited for Levi to get this opportunity. He will fit right in in San Antonio with the other fine musicians,” Robinett said.
Levi Caton was chosen for this prestigious honor through a competitive process held this year across the state at District, Region, and Area levels. Levi is a junior at Sulphur Springs High School and plays trumpet under the direction of Spencer Emmert, who is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, a 14,000-plus member organization headquartered in Austin. This is Levi’s first time to perform as a member of a TMEA All-State organization. Levi is the child of Kevin Caton and Ailsha Caton.
High school students selected to perform in the All-State concerts have competed through auditions to qualify at the state level. All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive. only 1,875 students are selected through a process that began with over 70,000 students from around the state vying for this honor to perform in one of 18 ensembles.
Texas Music Educators Association sponsors the Texas All-State competition. This competitive process begins throughout the state in auditions hosted by 33 TMEA Regions. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advances from their Region to compete against musicians from other areas in eight TMEA Area competitions. The highest-ranking musicians judged at the TMEA Area competitions qualify to perform in a TMEA All-State music group. Only the top 2.6% of musicians who initially audition become All-State musicians.
These All-State students participate in four days of rehearsals directed by nationally recognized conductors during the TMEA Clinic/Convention. Their performances for thousands of attendees bring this extraordinary event to a close. For the All-State concert and conductor information, go to the Performances section of www.tmea.org/convention.
Overall, more than 30,000 people from Texas and around the world are expected to attend over 290 workshops, 100 performances, and visit over 1,200 exhibit booths at the nation’s largest music educators convention.
Congratulations to Levi Caton for making the Texas All-State Symphonic Band on trumpet.
