Twenty-seven FBISD Musical Ensembles Win National Competition

FORT BEND ISD (September 17, 2025) – Twenty-seven Fort Bend ISD musical ensembles won national recognition in the 2025 Mark of Excellence project.

The Mark of Excellence project awards outstanding performances by high school and middle school bands, choirs and orchestras. The top 25 percent of entrants are recognized as national winners, with the second 25 percent named as commended winners.

This year, more than 650 ensembles entered the competition. FBISD’s 2025 winners include:

National Choral Honors

• Elkins High School Varsity Treble Choir, under the direction of John Richardson and Zoey Simonson, National Winner, High School Open Class
• Elkins High School Varsity Mixed Choir under the direction of John Richardson, Commended Winner
• First Colony Middle School Bobcat Select Treble Choir, under the direction of Joshua Sarmiento, Commended Winner

National Jazz Honors

• Elkins High School Gold’n Blues, under the direction of William Phi, Commended Winner

National Orchestra Honors

• Clements High School Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Neal Springer, Jeff Johnson and Sally Kirk, National Winner
• Clements High School Chamber Strings, under the direction of Neal Springer and Sally Kirk, National Winner
• Fort Settlement Middle School Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Angela Peugnet and Elizabeth Spencer, National Winner
• Sartartia Middle School Honors Orchestra, under the direction of Heather Davis and Guillermo Teniente, National Winner
• Elkins High School Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Joe Garcia and Joseph Chen, Commended Winner
• Travis High School Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Sabrina Behrens and John Niiler, Commended Winner
• Dulles Middle School Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Marisol Luna and Edward Odeh, Commended Winner
• Sartartia Middle School Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Heather Davis, Nicole Elias, Guillermo Teniente and Dong Pham, Commended Winner
• Baines Middle School Honors Orchestra, under the direction of Lauren Mascioli, Commended Winner
• Fort Settlement Middle School Sinfonia Orchestra, under the direction of Angela Peugnet and Elizabeth Spencer, Commended Winner

National Percussion Honors

• Elkins High School Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Christopher Dial, Commended Winner

National Wind Band Honors

• Fort Settlement Middle School Honors Band, under the direction of Theresa Baragas and Tiffany Ye, National Winner
• Ronald Thornton Middle School Honors Band, under the direction of Thomas Macias, National Winner
• Hodges Bend Middle School Honors Band, under the direction of Aaron Goldfarb, Commended Winner
• Elkins High School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Joseph Chen, William Phi, and Christopher Dialv, Commended Winner (New Music Division)
• Garcia Middle School Honors Band, under the direction of Joann Prause, Paige Nielsen, and Lee Willis, Commended Winner (New Music Division)
• Hodges Bend Middle School Honors Band, under the direction of Aaron Goldfarb, Commended Winner (New Music Division)
• Ronald Thornton Middle School Honors Band, under the direction of Thomas Macias, Commended Winner (New Music Division)
• Sugar Land Middle School Honors Band, under the direction of Amanda Payne and Samantha Hernandez, Commended Winner (New Music Division)

The Citation of Excellence project seeks to recognize and award outstanding achievement in performance by non-varsity high school and middle school bands and orchestras

Citation of Excellence

• Fort Settlement Middle School Symphonic Band, under the direction of Tiffany Ye, National Winner
• Travis High School Sinfonia Orchestra, under the direction of John Niiler and Sabrina Behrens, National Winner
• Dulles Middle School Symphonic Band, under the direction of Adam Blakey and Edward Odeh, Commended Winner
• Clements High School Concert Band, under the direction of Leslie Flynn, Commended Winner
• Elkins High School Symphonic Band, under the direction of William Phi, Commended Winner
• Sartartia Middle School Camerata Orchestra, under the direction of Guillermo Teniente and Heather Davis, Commended Winner

The Mark of Excellence project is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Foundation for Music Education which promotes music education through scholarships and other projects.