KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
February 6, 2025
By Natalie Cook Clark
Katy ISD students well represent the district with All-State honors. 54 students represent the top 2.6 percent of musicians in Texas following a highly competitive selection process that began with nearly 70,000 students from across the state.
54 Katy ISD students were selected for All-State honors in band, choir and orchestra, securing the state’s highest honor for students in music.
Four Students Ranked Number 1 with their Instruments
Each year, the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) sponsors the prestigious All-State competition, welcoming student musicians from the organization’s 33 regions. Students audition before a panel of judges who rank each entrant for advancement to the area round, and from there, the highest-ranking musicians are selected for their respective All-State ensemble. Katy ISD had four students that were ranked number one in the state on their instrument: Caleb Elrod (Katy), Leah Wu (Tompkins), Parham Vakili (Seven Lakes) and Brayden Sanchez (Jordan).
“Congratulations to these students for achieving this incredible statewide recognition; students range from their first time earning this recognition to their fourth time achieving this honor,” says Damon Archer, executive director of fine arts in Katy ISD. “I commend their dedicated teachers for their work in leading these talented students and helping them achieve such high-profile recognition.”
All-State musicians participate in four days of rehearsal during the annual TMEA Clinic/Convention, performing before thousands of attendees from across the country and around the world. This year’s convention will be held Feb. 12-15, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Congratulations to the Katy ISD students honored below:
Cinco Ranch High School
Lakshya Deshpande- Choir
Lucy Ebben – Orchestra
Ryan Gover – Band
Micah Marsh – Choir
Ian Pelton – Band
Srisamhita Ponnapalli – Choir
George Stevens – Band
Jordan High School
Ava Cooper – Choir
Samantha Cui – Orchestra
Jeweet Fang – Orchestra
Michael Guo – Orchestra
Jacob Jang – Orchestra
Pranav Kelwada – Orchestra
Zach Lim – Orchestra
Christian Olowookere – Choir
Brian Rhee – Orchestra
Brayden Sanchez – Band
Sasha Shetty – Choir
Kelvin Sun – Orchestra
Maxwell Tang – Orchestra
Nathan Xu – Orchestra
Huanran (Henry) Yu – Orchestra
Katy High School
Caleb Elrod – Band
Zoe Guess – Choir
Adryan Pineda- Band
Mackenzie Simkins – Choir
Joyce Tan – Orchestra
Paetow High School
Walter Bryant – Choir
Jude Sepulveda – Orchestra
Seven Lakes High School
Joshua Corrigan – Band
Austin Falck – Band
Grace Gamel – Choir
Samir Gandhi – Orchestra
Robert Garcia – Orchestra
Kevin Hu – Orchestra
Jenna Lee – Orchestra
Avery Lindsey – Choir
ChenXi Ling – Orchestra
Olivia Owen – Band
Shugo Sakamoto – Orchestra
Lauren Son – Choir
Bill Sun – Orchestra
Parham Vakili – Orchestra
Taylor High School
Avika Nimmagadda – Band
Jennifer Park - Band
Sophia Tang – Orchestra
Tompkins High School
Javier Bustillos – Band
Arjun Chandupatla – Orchestra
David Escobar – Choir
Jake Jiang – Orchestra
Kendall Porter – Orchestra
Sreya Sreejith – Choir
Leah Wu – Band
Crystal Yang - Orchestra
Congratulations students!