Making it to an All-State competition once is a big deal for a high school musician. But making it twice in consecutive years is a rare achievement by any measure.
In January, senior Noah Semsar was notified that he had placed 6th in the state in the Texas Music Education Association’s annual All-State contest, in which he competed against the top 50 high school trumpet players in Texas. The TMEA audition process begins with over 70,000 students, and only 1,800 are selected as “All-State Musicians.”
This is a repeat achievement for Semsar, who was named first chair trumpet in TMEA’s All-State Symphony Orchestra last year.
Semsar, who is the first chair trumpet player in the Akins Eagle Marching Band, said this year’s competition was tougher than last year. He had to put in more work and stay consistent. His hard work paid off.
Akins Band Director Jose Flores said Semsar has distinguished himself as a true musician.
“There is a difference between a trumpet player and a musician. Noah is a musician,” Flores said.
Semsar has been playing the trumpet for seven years now. Flores has been working with Noah for almost three years.
“The trumpet is a difficult instrument because you can play many notes with the same finger position,” Flores said. “Therefore, you have to be very accurate with the vibration of your lips to play the note you want in tune.”
Flores mentioned that his curiosity for music and the trumpet, as well as his constant goal of self-improvement, helped Semsar overcome many challenges.
This year, Semsar practices an average of three hours per day. He said he doesn’t rely on motivation but a routine. Having a routine allows him to form the habit of getting up and practicing when he doesn’t want to.
Many Akins alumni have studied music at universities like Texas State University and the University of Texas at Austin. Semsar, however, plans to pursue music performance.
“I think last year was the first year where I felt that I had a future in music, and I realized that it was one of the only things that I wanted to do,” Semsar said.
Semsar is currently auditioning for Julliard’s School of Music, the New England Conservatory, the Eastman School of Music, and the Manhattan School of Music.
Conservatories and music schools have different application processes than most 4-year institutions. Students must submit a video of their playing and only 100 of them proceed to in-person auditions. Semsar made it into live auditions at Julliard and Manhattan and will be auditioning in person later this month and in March.
In addition to tackling college auditions and TMEA’s All-State competition, Semsar made it into Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra, also known as NYO-USA, this year. This summer Semsar will be leaving in July to rehearse and play in Carnegie Hall. From July to August the Youth Orchestra will go on a tour in South America conducted by Marin Alsop with Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
During early December, young musicians between the ages 16-19 submit an audition recording. The program is completely free, and professional orchestra musicians provide weeks of training. All members of NYO musicians become music ambassadors of the country.
“It’s an unreal accomplishment, to come from never playing an instrument in 6th grade to being considered one of the top four high school trumpet players in the country is just incredible,”
To check out Noah Semsar’s performance abilities, check out this video on Instagram.
