Music filled the air Saturday night as the 40th annual Centex Honor Bands performed at McGregor High School.

About 18 students from Italy junior high and high school made the cut to be named to these honor bands.

The middle school band was conducted by Darrell Umhoeffer, fine arts coordinator at Midway ISD in Woodway. The band performed Connundrum by Robert Sheldon, Abandoned Treasure Hunt by Rob Grice and Top Secret by Larry Neeck.

Italy junior high students performing were Angie Munoz, flute; Levi McBride, tenor saxophone; Amber Hooker, Ty Windham, trumpet; Jorge Galvan, trombone; Lillie Perry, Hannah Washington, Jorge Galvan, baritone; Ryan Connor, tuba; and Brenya Williams, percussion.

Umhoeffer said this was one of the best bands that he has ever worked with, noting that they were well behaved and focused. He said this is a tribute to the parents and band directors.

The high school concert band was conducted by Christy Anderson, band director at Farley Middle School in Hutto. They performed Circus Days by Karl L. King, Afterburn by Randall Standrige and The Curse of Tutankhamun by Michael Story.

Italy high school students performed were K’Breona Davis, clarinet; Joe Mack Pitts, alto saxophone; Alex Minton-Felder, mallets; and Gus Allen, timpani.

Anderson also praised the students saying that they were “an absolute pleasure to work with.”

The symphonic band was conducted by Brent Colwell, director at Temple College. They performed Alamo by Karl L. King/arranged by James Swearingen, When the Stars Began to Fall by Fred J. Allen and The Great Locomotive Chase by Robert W. Smith.

The high school students from Italy performing were Alexis Sampley, oboe; Trevor Davis, clarinet; Whitney Wolaver, percussion; and Brett Kirton, timpani.

The Centex Honor Band competition is exclusive to 1A and 2A schools in the Central Texas area. Students from approximately 25 schools audition to be a part of the junior high band, high school concert band or high school symphonic band.

The high school students competed on Wednesday and then practiced together six hours on Saturday before performing that evening.

Italy High School Band Director Jesus Perez said that he was proud of the Italy students. “Our leaders set a goal this summer of having more kids participate and make the bands and we surpassed those numbers. It’s also impressive that they’re able to perform at such a high level at the concert with only six hours of practice.”