The 2025 TMEA All-State Large School Mixed Choir is a prestigious ensemble comprising the top high school choristers in Texas, selected through a highly competitive multi-level audition process. Under the baton of acclaimed conductor Richard Bjella, the choir’s 224 voices will unite for the first time during the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention in February. This marks the second time a TMEA All-State choir has been invited to perform at an ACDA National Conference.
These exceptional students qualify for the All-State choir through a rigorous adjudication process. In the fall, over 13,000 high school singers from large school choirs across the state’s 33 regions compete in initial auditions. The top vocalists then advance to the final state-wide auditions in January, where the 224 members of the TMEA All-State Large School Mixed Choir are selected.
During the TMEA Clinic/Convention, the All-State choristers will engage in four days of intensive rehearsals under Bjella’s direction, honing their technical mastery and artistic expression. The resulting performance will serve as an inspiration for choral programs throughout Texas. For their ACDA National Conference appearance, the choir will offer an encore presentation of their TMEA concert repertoire:
PROGRAM
Death Came A-Knockin
Ruthie Foster; arr. Paul Rardin
Crucifixus
Antonio Lotti; ed. Raymond Nagem
Requiem
W.A. Mozart; ed. Robert D. Levin
Lacrimosa and Amen
Sehnsucht
Johannes Brahms; ed. Bruce Southard
The Coolin from Reincarnations
Samuel Barber
Illuminaire
Elaine Haggenberg
3. Nox
A Litany for Courage and the Seasons
David Maslanka
V. Little Dance: For Barbara Mason
Over the Rainbow [with Lo, How a Rose]
arr. Rick Bjella
Unwritten
Natasha Bedingfield; arr. Vince Peterson
Conductor Richard Bjella is a renowned figure in the choral field, with a distinguished career as a conductor, clinician, pedagogue, and arranger. He recently retired from Texas Tech University, and before that, served 25 years as Director of Choral Studies at the Lawrence Conservatory of Music. Bjella currently serves as Artistic Director of the San Antonio Chamber Choir.
About Texas Music Educators Association
Since 1920, Texas Music Educators Association has worked to ensure excellence in music education for all Texas students. TMEA’s 20,400 members include over 14,100 school music educators who belong to one of five TMEA Divisions: Band, Orchestra, Vocal, Elementary, and College. Members elect Vice-Presidents to their Division to guide the Division’s programming. On behalf of its members and Texas students, TMEA monitors the actions of state decision- making bodies on issues affecting fine arts instruction in Texas. In addition to many member benefits, TMEA offers professional development for its members online and through its annual Clinic/Convention that hosts over 30,000 attendees. TMEA supports the future of music education by offering scholarships to music education majors and sponsoring the Texas Future Music Educators, an organization through which high school students interested in careers in music education learn more about what to expect in their college education and future careers.
