Paso Robles students shine at county music festivals
To see these musicians perform again, attend the Bearcat Serenade on May 10
– Paso Robles High School is home to some of the top music students in San Luis Obispo County. Recently, these students showcased their talent at prestigious concerts and festivals throughout the county following competitive audition processes.
The San Luis Obispo County Jazz Honor Band, hosted and directed by Ron McCarley from Cuesta College, held auditions for students to be selected for the band. This year, 16 students were chosen to represent the county, with six of them from Paso Robles High School.
The SLO County Jazz Honor Band is hosted and directed by Ron McCarley from Cuesta College. The students are invited to audition for the band and are then selected through a competitive audition process.
This year, sixteen were chosen to represent the county, and six talented students from Paso Robles High School earned spots in the band, including Arismenty Garcia on tenor saxophone, Brennan Anderson, *Jaime Cota, and *Christian Serna on trombone, *Jake Minnis and Darian Lamar on trumpet. The concert featured an outstanding performance of the Honor Jazz Band alongside the Cuesta College Jazz Ensemble, which also included some high school students, (denoted by an asterisk,) delighting an audience of jazz lovers, family, and friends.
The high school jazz band also performed at the Dos Pueblos Jazz Festival in Goleta. Trombonist Jaime Cota and guitarist Kyle Dart earned special awards as Outstanding Soloists. The entire trombone section, along with vocal soloist Erin Rowins, earned Best in Festival awards. Overall, the jazz band ranked second place.
Paso Robles students also performed in concert band. Music students from middle and high school bands throughout the county were invited to audition for the San Luis Obispo County Honor Band. From this rigorous process, only 60 students were selected, including six from Paso Robles High School.
Arismenty Garcia, Erin Rowins, Jake Minnis, Jaime Cota, Darian Lamar, and Austin Cripe dedicated hours of work to learn new music and attend multiple evening rehearsals. They delivered a memorable performance on Feb. 19, 2025, at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center, entertaining a packed house of music fans.
To see these musicians perform again, attend the Bearcat Serenade on May 10, at 5:30 p.m. for a catered dinner and silent auction fundraiser. The Paso Robles Jazz Band will provide the musical ambiance at Sculpterra Winery. Tickets and more information are available at www.ticketleap.events/tickets/prhsbandbackers/2025-bearcat-serenade.
