11 Riverside Unified Students Recognized Through Prestigious Regional, Statewide Honor Choir Selections

Eleven Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) choir students from three high schools have earned prestigious regional and state recognition after being selected for competitive Southern California and statewide honor choirs for the 2025-26 school year.

These highly selective ensembles recognize exceptional vocal talent and musicianship. More than 550 students from across Southern California auditioned for the Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA) Honor Choir this past fall, with only 250 selected — including 11 from RUSD. The audition process is rigorous, requiring students to demonstrate advanced vocal technique, sight-reading ability, and overall musicianship.

Riverside Unified’s 11 students selected for the SCVA High School Honor Choir include Arlington High School’s Jennifer Garcia, Victoria Grimm, and Danny Nelson; Riverside Polytechnic High School’s Kien Ly Biggs, Allurabella Chandler, Alana Dominguez-Johnson, Jacob Flores, Montana Ortega, and Seth Rich Neal; and Ramona High School’s Moises Magana and Nayara Alvarez.

All 11 RUSD students selected to the SCVA Honor Choir participated in a three-day intensive festival at the University of Redlands in November 2025. They performed challenging choral literature under the direction of esteemed conductors, many from leading college and university music programs. Top-scoring students are then considered for California All-State Honor Choirs, where the highest-ranked performers from across the state convene to perform at the California State Music Educators Conference (CASMEC).

Arlington High’s Nelson and Riverside Poly’s Biggs and Flores earned selection to the California All-State Honor Choir and performed at CASMEC in Sacramento in January. Garcia, Grimm, and Nelson were also selected for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Western Honor Choir, a distinguished ensemble that includes students from five western states.

This year’s honor choir selections showcase the strength and depth of Riverside Unified’s comprehensive arts education program and its investment in developing student musicians from an early age. RUSD’s arts programs are designed to provide high-quality, high-impact arts opportunities for students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. 

In 2024-25, Riverside Unified expanded its elementary music program to introduce a new TK through third-grade curriculum, building an early foundation that supports and strengthens the established fourth through sixth-grade music program.