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2024 ACDA Western Region Conference March 6-9, 2024 Pasadena, California

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Tesoro High School Thurman White Academy

Vocal Ensemble Advanced Choir

The Thurman White Academy Advanced Choir has
The Tesoro HS Vocal Ensemble performed at been under the direction of Athena Mertes since 2015.
ACDA Western Region Conferences in 2012 and Thurman White Academy is a Performing Arts Magnet
2016. They have performed and/or recorded with or Middle School program that accepts students through
opened for A-list performers, including Jason Mraz, a random lottery system. This 7th/8th-grade ensemble
Sara Bareilles, Colbie Caillat, Johnny Mathis, Five for consistently receives superior ratings at choral festivals
Fighting, Quentin Tarantino, Mark Lindsay, Take 6, and competitions and regularly performs as a guest
Eric Whitacre, and Morten Lauridsen. They are mul- choir with the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society.
tiple winners of the Golden State Choral Competition, Their virtual choir performance of “Don’t Give Up On
and they have performed in Carnegie Hall, the Grand Me” was featured at the 2022 Western Region ACDA
Ole Opry, and Staples Center. Vocal Ensemble has per- Conference “Stories of the Pandemic.” In 2019 they
formed several major choral/orchestral works with the received numerous awards at the Worldstrides Choral
Tesoro orchestra. Festival in San Diego, California.

Keith Hancock is in his twenty-second Athena Mertes is the director at the Thur-
year teaching at Tesoro HS. He was re- man White Academy of the Performing
cently named the Grammy Music Edu- Arts, where she has approximately 400
cator Award winner, a top fifty finalist students. In 2020 she received the Teacher
for the Global Teacher Prize, one of the of the Year Award from Magnet Schools
ten CMA National Teachers of Excellence, and one of America. Mertes is the chorus master of the Opera
of the 100 Most Influential People of Orange County. Las Vegas Youth Chorus and is a regular performer of
Hancock has frequently collaborated with Grammy concert and operatic repertoire. She has performed as a
Award-winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, arrang- guest soloist with the Burbank Philharmonic, Las Vegas
ing, conducting, and recording for his album, Know, Philharmonic, Henderson Symphony, and Opera Las
and performing with him on his tour. Hancock is also Vegas, among others. This season, she will perform as
a contributor to Careers Through Music, a book/video Marie in The Daughter of the Regiment with Vegas City
presented by Alfred Music and the Grammy Museum Opera, and the world premiere of a new opera, Behold
Foundation. the Man, with Opera Las Vegas.

178 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5