High School All-State Orchestras

January 15-18, 2026, Sacramento, CA

CODA High School All-State Symphony Orchestra, Ho-Yin Kwok, Conductor
On the Cliffs of Cornwall by Ethel Smith
Conga del Fuego Nuevo by Arturo Márquez
Medea’s Dance of Vengence, Op. 23a by Samuel Barber
CODA High School All-State String Orchestra, Jean (Rudy) Perrault, Conductor
Sinfonietta No. 2, “Generations”; IV. Allegro Vivace by Coleridge Taylor Perkinson
Exodus by Jean Perrault
Fuga y Misterio by Astor Piazzolla, arr. by Jean Perrault

Composer Information

Ethel Smyth (1858–1944)

Ethel Smyth was a pioneering English composer. Raised in a supportive family, she pursued formal musical training at the Leipzig Conservatory, where she absorbed late-romantic influences that shaped her compositional style. Her career in England flourished with works such as Mass in D and the opera Fantasio. This was the beginning of a prolific outpour of music that included chamber music, orchestral compositions, and operas like The Wreckers. Smyth also became deeply involved in the women’s suffrage movement, composing the anthem The March of the Women and even serving a short prison sentence for her activism, experiences she later recounted in her memoir Streaks of Life.

In her later years, Smyth continued to compose despite significant hearing loss, producing notable works such as The Prison and maintaining vibrant intellectual and artistic connections, including a meaningful friendship with Virginia Woolf. She spent her final decades in Woking, remaining active in cultural and political circles until her death in 1944. Smyth’s legacy is defined both by her innovative contributions to British music, particularly her operas and large-scale vocal works, and by her role as a trailblazer for women in the arts. Her musical voice, nationalist inflections, and commitment to social progress earned her high recognition, including her appointment as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and continue to inspire musicians and advocates for gender equality today. The CODA All-State Symphony Orchestra will be performing Smyth’s On the Cliffs of Cornwall CASMEC under the direction of Ho-Yin Kwok.

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004)

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, named after the celebrated composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, grew up immersed in a rich musical environment shaped by his mother, a pianist and organist influenced by Coleridge-Taylor’s legacy. A gifted pianist, Perkinson trained at New York’s High School of Music and Art, NYU, and the Manhattan School of Music, later studying conducting in Europe. His career spanned concert music, film scoring, dance collaborations, and arranging for major artists, though discrimination often pushed him toward opportunities outside mainstream classical institutions. Despite these obstacles, colleagues admired his originality, calling his music forward-looking, rhythmically vibrant, and masterfully crafted, blending modernist dissonance, jazz influences, and the more classical styles. His String Quartet No. 1, praised at its 1956 Carnegie Hall premiere, exemplifies his style. The CODA High School All-State String Orchestra will be performing the fourth movement of Perkinson’s Sinfonietta No 2, “Generations,” at CASMEC this January under the direction of Jean(Rudy) Perrault. 

Student Information Form (for students to submit to their director)

Please note the new due date for auditions from previous years.
All recordings must be submitted electronically by October 15, 2025.

• String Bass players have the opportunity to be considered for acceptance into one of the CBDA All-State Bands.  Bass players must indicate on their application, which ensembles they wish to audition for.

Directors, please read the following instructions for setting up your Director’s account and adding student auditions.
Director Instructions for CODA All-State Orchestra Audition Submission

Schools with small or growing music programs may qualify for a School Fee Waiver. Information can be found at the bottom of our FAQs page.