PSHS student selected 3rd chair for prestigious All-State Mixed choir

Following a months-long audition process, Princeton Senior High School junior Alisson Nahomy Castro was selected as the third chair for the elite TMEA Large School All-State Mixed choir, which is the top choir in the state.

With this selection, she has qualified to rehearse and perform with the 2026 Texas All-State Mixed Choir Feb. 14, at San Antonio’s Henry B. González Convention Center during the 2026 Texas Music Educators Association clinic/convention.

"This is a huge accomplishment," PISD choir director Rachel Lavender said. "We are incredibly proud of her. She has put so much heart into this process that started over the summer and has been going to multiple university choir camps and countless after-school rehearsals."

Nahomy was chosen for this prestigious honor through a competitive process held this year across the state at district, region and area levels.

"This process includes four audition rounds," Lavender said. "It is the highest honor a high school choir student can achieve in the state of Texas."

At PSHS, Castro performs with the varsity mixed choir and show choir. She is the daughter of Glendy Cortez and Edgar Barrientos, and this is her first time to perform as a member of a TMEA All-State organization.

"She has been part of the choir program since middle school," Lavender said. "I could tell in 6th grade that she was special."

According to Castro, the auditions are not for the weak.

"This requires a lot of discipline," she said. "You have to keep yourself accountable and stay focused."

Castro estimates she rehearsed 1-2 hours daily.

"To prepare, I spent every day sight reading and running my songs," she said. "I'm thankful for my directors who would stay after with me and the support of my parents. And now I feel like I can say I'm proud that my hard work paid off."

The process to select All-State choir members begins with roughly 60,000 students from around the state who are competing for honor to perform in one of 18 ensembles. The first stop is TMEA regionals at one of 33 host sites.

"Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part," Lavender said. "From this ranking, a select group of musicians advances from their region to compete against musicians at eight TMEA area contests."

Only the Top 3% of musicians who initially audition become All-State musicians.

"The last Princeton student to achieve this level was Marquis McBride, who was a 4-year All-State musician," Lavender said. "He went to UNT and majored in music education and now he is student teaching in Allen."

Directed by nationally recognized conductors, All-State students participate in four days of rehearsals during the TMEA convention.

Lavender said, "Their performances for thousands bring this extraordinary event to a close."