Music Student and Clarinetist Joel Hernandez Wins Statewide TCCBDA Concerto Competition

Article by: Michael `Bratten

Music Student Joel Hernandez_TCCBDA Competition Winner_Fall 2019

Del Mar College Music student Joel Hernandez, who is the lead clarinetist in the DMC Wind Ensemble, performs in the Music Department’s Wolfe Recital Hall the piece that won him the top honor during the Texas Community College Band Directors Association’s concerto competition in November. (Photo credit: DMC College Relations)

Music Department_Student Clarinetist Joel Hernandez (left)_Professor of Music William Lipman

Professor of Music William Lipman (right), who mentors and serves as studio teacher clarinetist Joel Hernandez, watches as the Music major Joel Hernandez performs the winning pieces that earned him the top honor during the concerto competition held by the Texas Community College Band Directors Association in November. (Photo credit: DMC College Relations)

It’s like scoring a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Joel Hernandez, Del Mar College (DMC) student and principal clarinetist in the DMC Wind Ensemble, was recently named the winner of the annual concerto competition held by the Texas Community College Band Directors Association (TCCBDA).

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This is a monumental accomplishment for any student at any college or university who is studying music. It’s also the result of countless hours of practice and mentoring from his studio teacher, Professor Bill Lipman.

Dr. Abel Saldivar Ramirez, Associate Professor of Music

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Hernandez will also serve as the featured guest soloist during the 2020 Texas Music Educators Association/TCCBDA All-State Concerts scheduled in February at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio.

In addition, six other students from the DMC Music Department earned positions in the 2020 TCCBDA All State Symphonic Band: Ben Camareno (trombone); Gerald Espejo (clarinet); Oscar Galvan (bass trombone); Eric Heatherley (oboe); Manuel Jasso (French horn); and Joseph Salinas (euphonium).

The students’ music for the competition was recorded and submitted to the TCCBDA, Ramirez added, and this was a collaborative and extensive audition process that involved all areas of the DMC Music Department, such as the Sound Recording Technology studio under the guidance of Professor Paul Bissell, DMA, as well as private recording studios.

About Del Mar College

Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.