Thousands vie for it. Only a select few get in.
On January 30 and January 31, Liliana Asta ‘26 and Luna Pham ‘27 rigorously rehearsed at the Peoria Civic Center, preparing themselves to perform in the best junior ensembles of all of Illinois. Through a months-long practice schedule leading up to the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association All-State Festival, Asta and Pham—who performed as a Soprano and Bassoon, respectively—were able to represent Galena on the biggest music stage of the state.
“ILMEA All-State is the highest form of achievement an Illinois school musician can receive inside the school system,” explains band director Ms. Smith, who helped Pham on her auditions and assisted her at the Festival. “It is an opportunity to make music with extremely talented musicians from across the state, while also pushing them to grow musically in a way that is not accessible for any other high school honors event.”
Choir or Orchestra, the audition process is very similar. “During the district audition process, I gave Luna some musical phrasing and expression tips for the etudes, but her private lesson teachers had to help her with the “how” part of executing the tips I gave her on a bassoon,” recalls Smith. “Students virtually audition in the fall with two etudes [challenging musical compositions that are designed to improve specific aspects of performance], along with a scale sheet.” Attendance at the district ILMEA festival is imperative for consideration to All-State.
Auditioning for choral ensembles are similar. Students prepare selections from songs that will be performed at [the] district and state level,” says GEMS and GHS choir director Ms. Streich. “They also have to practice tonal skills such as scales and triads.”
The work only begins once students have been selected for the All-State Festival in Peoria. Logistics aside, Asta and Pham now had to adapt to an even larger performing environment with even more technical pieces—some classical, some modern.
For Asta, she was provided with practice tracks that allowed her to grasp the piece much faster in the short time leading up to her performance. In the words of Streich, “Liliana is an excellent musician and learns the music mostly outside of school. [I] assist Liliana when needed more so at the auditioning level.”
“Every night, I practiced for 30 minutes to an hour using the practice tracks,” explained Asta, who made it to the Honors Vocal Jazz Ensemble. “[I] had to send in vocal check-ins to the chairperson of ILMEA Honors Vocal Jazz to prove I knew my stuff!”
For Orchestra students accepted into All-State, Smith explains that they “may resubmit their virtual audition or re-record their audition in an attempt to reach a higher chair placement,” a way for performers like Pham to get a chance at being the principal Bassoonist at the All-State Orchestra. Choir performers do not get this opportunity; rather, Streich says that they are “placed in either an all-state ensemble or an honors ensemble.”
It is also crucial that deadlines aren’t missed, whether that be in the form of fees or check-ins that directors perform on the musicians to ensure good practice habits. Smith says that “Missed deadlines result in students being ineligible for participation at any stage of the ILMEA journey.”
Then, it’s time for the festival. “Missing three days of school can be a lot for students,” articulates Streich, who also goes on to explain that “the students have very tight rehearsal schedules throughout the days—sometimes going until 10 pm.”
Yet, long rehearsal days and piled-up homework proved to be no match for Asta and Pham, who still performed exceptionally well at the Festival. “The most challenging song would have to be ‘Fly,’ a song . . . arranged by our super cool director Matt Falker,” remarked Asta. “There are a lot of very difficult fast notes, crunchy harmonies, and unconventional elements that made that song a unique challenge for us as a group.”
Pham, who performed Gustav Holst’s The Planets at the Festival, displayed her technical ability in her performance—a landmark trait she honed from hours of practice with the bassoon this audition season. Truly, Asta and Pham were surrounded by the greatest junior musical talents in Illinois; in fact, they were one of them.
For Asta, this is her final performance in the ILMEA circuit before the curtain falls on her high school musical career. It’s safe to say she ended with a bang. Pham still has one more year of eligibility to perhaps go back to Peoria next year—she is only a junior. Nevertheless, the All-State Festival has proven to remarkably shape the two’s approach to music, as well as display their talent center stage, in front of the whole state. It won’t be long before auditions for the festival open in October; until then, the two will continue doing what they love: performing.
