Her story began in McKinney, but we are so proud to have her as a Gunter Tiger! Zoe Ralston has been playing the viola for six years and the success that she has had will carry far into her future. Her love for playing began in a McKinney middle school and continued with the high school orchestra in the McKinney district until her family made the move to Gunter last year. Although we don't have an orchestra in our district, Zoe found a way to hold on to her passion by playing with the Arco Bello Youth Orchestra in Sherman.
Zoe competed against 83 other Violists in the TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) competition on October 21st. Her competitors were mainly from 6A schools with established orchestras, such as Allen ISD, Plano ISD, and Frisco ISD. TMEA competition operates on a blind audition system. Students are kept behind a curtain until they are called upon to play a portion of a song selected by the judges. Zoe was asked to play three times. In the end, she was the only one selected from a 3A school to advance to Regionals. This marks the 3rd time she has advanced!
Congratulations, Zoe! Your story is an inspiration and we hope you continue playing your viola for a long time.