About All-State Choir

Texas Two-Year College Choral Excellence

The Texas Two-Year College Choral Directors Association is committed to fostering exceptional choral experiences for students across Texas. We unite educators and performers through all-state auditions and premier events to elevate two-year college music programs statewide.

The Texas Two-Year College All-State Choir performing on stage at the TMEA convention

Texas Two-Year College All-State Choirs Conducted by Esteemed Directors

Meet the dedicated professionals who drive our mission and inspire student musicians.

Dr. Cristian Grases

2026-2027 Guest Conductor

Dr. Cristian Grases joined the USC Thornton faculty in the Fall 2010 semester and is currently a professor of choral music, conductor of the USC Thornton Chamber Singers, and Chair of the Department of Choral Music, after serving as the Vice Dean for the Classical Performance and Composition Division for three years. Born in Venezuela, he earned degrees from the Simón Bolívar University (MM) in Caracas, Venezuela, and the University of Miami (DMA). He has previously served as interim director of choral activities at Central Washington University; assistant professor in choral music at California State University, Los Angeles; and national coordinator of choirs for EL SISTEMA under Maestro José Antonio Abreu. He also served as conductor for the Women’s Chamber Ensemble of the University of Miami, the assistant conductor of the Miami Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Eduardo Marturet, and the conductor of the Young Musician’s Orchestra. Additionally, he is an award-winning conductor and composer and has been commissioned to write for several prestigious organizations such as the Piedmont Children's Chorus, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, the Golden Bridge Choir, the ORA Singers, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Dr. Grases has participated in numerous festivals, workshops, and events as a guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and conducting pedagogue in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has also presented sessions in the World Choral Symposia in Denmark, Argentina, and South Korea. Additionally, he has presented at several ACDA regional and national conventions and conducted the National Latin American Honor Choir at the Salt Lake City ACDA National Convention.

Dr. Grases was elected into the Board of Directors of the International Federation for Choral Music in 2008 and served as a member of the Executive Board as a Vice-President representing the region of Latin America and the Caribbean until December of 2020. In addition, Grases was the chair of the Ethnic Music Repertoire and Resources Committee for the Western Division of the American Choral Directors Association (2009-2018), he was part of the editorial board of the International Choral Bulletin (2005-2018), was the editor of the Children’s and Youth Column for the bulletin (2005-2017), was the founding Artistic Director for the Esperanza Azteca Los Angeles Orchestra and Amazonia Ensemble, and serves in numerous international artistic committees including Songbridge, the World Youth Choir, and chaired the Artistic Committee for the World Choral Expo 2019; additionally, he served in the Artistic Committee for the World Symposium on Choral Music celebrated in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2023. In 2013 Dr. Grases started a new Choral Series entitled “The Choral Music of Latin America and the Caribbean” published by Gentry Publications as an editorial outlet for Latin American choral repertoire.

Dr. Nathaniel Fryml

2026-2027 Accompanist

Nathaniel Fryml is the Director of Choral Activities at Amarillo College and Artistic Director of the Amarillo Master Chorale. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Choral Music from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he served as assistant conductor of the Angeles Chorale and the Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale. He has also worked as assistant conductor and keyboardist for the Bellingham Music Festival. Dr. Fryml studied piano performance, music theory, and composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Furman University, and he actively performs as a soloist and chamber musician.

A published composer, Dr. Fryml was recently commissioned by the Amarillo Symphony to write a new choral-orchestral work in celebration of their 100th Anniversary Season. Equally passionate about music ministry, Dr. Fryml has also served as a church music director, band leader, and keyboardist. He and his wife Joanne are loving every moment of their daily adventure trying to keep up with their young sons, Isaac, Theodore, and Josef.

Audition Guidelines

The audition must be a live audition and alternates must be auditioned and selected at the same time with no additions or substitutions after the registration form has been sent to the Executive Secretary. If an institution does not have a complete octet, but more than one student on a given part, the additional singers may be certified as alternates at the time of the audition/certification process.
There must be at least three directors present and judging at each audition.
At each audition site singers will be seated in section configuration, with space allowing for adjudicating directors to hear individual performances.
Program repertoire must be sung in its entirety.
Students will be judged on correct intonation, rhythm, and diction.

Individuals are advised that during the section rehearsals on Wednesday evening they may be selected at random to demonstrate appropriate preparation. Directors at each college must plan to conduct review rehearsals in January before the TMEA Convention. An organized region rehearsal may serve this purpose.

From the TTCCDA Constitution and By-laws

SECTION 2 - AUDITION/CERTIFICATION PROCESS

Each institution will be allowed to certify an octet (one student on a part). This octet shall include Soprano I and II, Alto I and II; Tenor I and II and Bass I and II. If an institution does not have a complete octet, then any additional singers will be certified as alternates at the time of the audition/certification process. The purpose of the audition/certification process is to certify that each student knows his or her part. It is not sufficient that an individual has attended a group rehearsal. Students must demonstrate knowledge of all the selected music. There must be three judges at each audition/certification site. If it is not possible for all three judges to be a TTCCDA choral director, the additional judges may be a music teacher from a college faculty or community.