Schoenbauer returns to All-State Band for a second time

Tri-City United High School musician Branko Schoenbauer was chosen last year for the 2024-2025 All-State Concert Band as a flutist.

All-State members are chosen through an audition process of recording a couple numbers and submitting them to a judging panel. “We had a lot more time than I expected,” said Schoenbauer. “The music was given to us at the beginning of school, and I started practicing September 3 (2023), and then I had until March to send my audition in.”

He was picked for the 2024-2025 group last April and spent a week at Concordia College in Moorhead playing with other high school musicians in August 2024 for the All-State Camp. “I was surprised at how many people were in our band,” said Schoenbauer. The band consisted of 100 musicians, of which there were 14 flutists — Schoenbauer being one of them. He was also one of two flutists in the group that also played the piccolo for certain pieces.

Dr. Heidi Johanna Miller was the director of the band, a revered director in the region. “Dr. Miller was really nice. I loved the way she conducted. She made it really clear,” said Schoenbauer. “She had a great way of telling you how she wanted things changed.”

Schoenbauer said that he found it pretty easy to get along with the other student musicians and quickly became friends with many of them. “We get music that is a lot harder because people have the experience and ability to play,” said Schoenbauer. “Everyone wants to be there, and everyone enjoys it.”

A concert was given at Concordia College’s field house for family and friends at the end of their week of rehearsing, but this was not the final concert for the All-State groups.

The All-State groups, of which there were six with 606 high school musicians from 272 music programs from around the state, gathered again for a final performance at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis on Saturday, Feb. 15, during the Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA) Midwinter Convention. The groups had the previous day to rehearse again before hitting the stage.

Schoenbauer said, “It was pretty exhilarating. I’ve never seen it (Orchestra Hall) or been there before. The first time seeing it was on stage. It was really cool when we first warmed up. I could hear parts of the band I couldn’t hear before.”

“Regeneration” by Kevin Charoensri was Schoenbauer’s favorite piece performed. “It had some really interesting sounds to it, and the themes would change throughout. It would be really slow and then suddenly percussion would come in hitting pots and pans. They literally had pans and five-gallon Home Depot buckets,” said Schoenbauer.

TCU Band Director Nate Reed spoke highly of Schoenbauer, “He’s been our drum major this year — he’s been appointed the student leader — and he’s been doing a great job at that. He works really hard and is involved in other bands outside of school. He’s just playing all the time. He was auditioning against any school of any size in the state.”

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Besides playing the flute and piccolo, Schoenbauer also plays the saxophone as a part of the TCU Jazz Band and says he is learning to play the trumpet.

Schoenbauer doesn’t recall exactly why he chose flute as his main instrument. “I remember trying all the instruments in fourth grade, and the buzzing of all the brass instruments bothered me,” said Schoenbauer. “Not many people could make a noise off the flute and I could. I think it sounded cool.”

Shiela Schoenbauer, his mother, said, “His dad and I are very proud of him and the hard work he puts into it. He practices many, many hours. It’s not uncommon for him to practice a few hours a day. It’s his own thing, he does it on his own. It’s fun to watch him perform and see that caliber of performance.”

His mother said that when he started playing in fifth grade she was surprised he chose the flute. “Since then, he picks up another instrument, puts his mind to it, and learns how to play it,” she said.

Branko Schoenbauer auditioned again for the All-State band groups for 2025-2026 this spring. Last week he found out that he was chosen again to be a part of the select few, this time in the All-State Symphonic Band as a flutist.

He will be attending the All-State Camp July 29 through August 2 at Concordia College in Moorhead, and then attending the MMEA Midwinter Convention from Feb. 13-14, 2026, with a concert on Feb. 14, 2026, at Orchestra Hall as a part of the group.

Simply put, he said, “I’m really excited.”