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2026 All-State Audition Information
- mcgillicuddyc
- Oct 8
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Date: Saturday, January 24th, 2026
Snow Date: Sunday, January 25, 2026
Location: Grafton High School in Grafton, MA
Auditions Coordinator: Michael Coelho
For audition-related questions/concerns, please contact Micael Coelho directly at mcoelhommea@gmail.com
More Info at https://www.massmea.org/auditions
The 2026 All-State Rehearsals and Performances will take place in Worcester, MA!
We are happy to announce the finalized information for the 2026 All State Festival Auditions. There are two changes that will occur to create opportunities for students to audition our four new ensembles: SSAA Choir, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble (including Vocalists), and Contemporary Ensemble. Many of those details were outlined in the Explainer Video that was shared with you several weeks ago. This email will give you an overview of those changes, but additional information and details can be found in the Auditions Handbook.
Audition Registration Information
All State Audition Registration opens December 1st, 2025.
All State Audition REGULAR Registration closes December 12th, 2025.
All State Audition LATE Registration from December 13th - 17th, 2025.
Students cannot be registered for auditions past this point.
Pre-Screen Auditions for Contemporary Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble Vocalists:
November 1st - December 1, 2025: Pre-Screen Auditions accepted
Monday, December 1, 2025: Prescreen Videos Due (Contemporary/Jazz Vocal)
December 8th, 2025: Pre-Screen results delivered to directors (All State Recommendations)
January 24, 2026: Live Auditions at Grafton High School
All State Audition Times
The audition schedule by district is indicated in the following table. Note the time that corresponds to the name of your school and your geographic district. Home-schooled students may come at any time during their geographic district's audition times, or arrange a suitable time with the MMEA Auditions Coordinator in advance.
Please note the following:
Three schools will be randomly assigned from the first time block to audition at the start of auditions.
Schools sending more than 15 students to auditions may be contacted to schedule a time to avoid congestion.
Each school may ask for two special time requests. All requests must be made from their school director in advance. Requests from parents, students or private teachers will be declined.
If you need an alternative time for a student, you may submit a request using this form here. While we cannot guarantee that your request will be honored, our auditions team will do our best to accommodate your preferences to the best of our ability if the request is submitted by the deadline of Friday, January 2nd.
Audition Times, Districts, and Schools
8:15 AM: Western District Schools A-M
9:00 AM: Western District Schools N-Z
9:45 AM: Eastern District Schools A-M
10:30 AM: Eastern District Schools N-Z
11:15 AM: Northeastern District Schools A-M
1:00 PM: Northeastern District Schools N-Z
1:45 PM: Southeastern District Schools A-M
2:30 PM: Southeastern District Schools N-Z
3:15 PM: Central District Schools A-M
4:00 PM: Central District Schools N-Z
How We Got Here
As detailed in our New Ensembles Explainer Video and presentation, the process of adding the 4 new ensembles to our All State Festival has involved dozens of MMEA members on various committees and feasibility groups over the past 5 years. These committees have laid the groundwork for the implementation of this exciting expansion of opportunities for students across the state. This initiative is born out of our DEIA work and the 2023 All State Conference and Festival Feasibility Group led by Past President Tony Beatrice. There are so many folks to thank for their efforts to get this project off the ground, but I’d like to thank:
Jared Cassedy, President
Tony Beatrice, Immediate Past President
Heather Cote, Past President
Michael LaCava, Executive Director
Noreen Diamond Burdett, Associate Executive Director
Allyson Rottman, Concert Coordinator
Michael Coelho, Auditions Coordinator
Michael Lapamardo, Past Auditions Coordinator
Members of the DEIA Committee
Members of the Conference and Concert Feasibility Group (2023)
Members of the DEIA Subcommittee on New Student Opportunities (2021-2023)
Members of the New Ensembles Feasibility Group (2024-2025)
Increased Number of All State Recommendations from District Festivals
Most of the students auditioning for the new ensembles will be pulled from the five District Festivals by increasing the number of students that are eligible for an All State Recommendation. These changes are:
The 45 highest scoring Sopranos from each district will receive an All State Recommendation
The 45 highest scoring Altos from each district will receive an All State Recommendation
All Percussionists from each district will receive an All State Recommendation
Placement Changes
In addition to increasing the audition pool with the above changes, we will also be accepting more students in the All State Festival in these areas:
Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble Instrumentalists: Both of these ensembles will be comprised of a traditional big band instrumentation, therefore twice as many jazz students will be accepted into All State (i.e. 4 alto saxophones as opposed to 2 in the past). Their placements will alternate between the two ensembles (highest score to Jazz Band, second highest to Jazz Ensemble, etc.)
Sopranos and Altos: These singers will be placed in alternating ensembles with highest score will go to SATB, 2nd highest score will go to SSAA, and so on, until the SATB Choir is full, and the remaining highest scores will fill in the section of the SSAA Choir.
Percussion: Placement in the three ensembles (Concert Band, Orchestra, and Percussion Ensemble) will alternate the highest scores: top score will go to Concert Band, 2nd highest score will go to Orchestra, 3rd highest score will go to Percussion Ensemble and so on, until the Band and Orchestra are full, and the remaining highest scores will fill in the section of the Percussion Ensemble
Pre-Screen and Live Auditions for Contemporary Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble Vocalists
Because the districts do not currently have Contemporary Ensemble or Jazz Vocalists, we are implementing a Pre-Screen process in order for students to receive an All State Recommendation for these areas. That process will follow this schedule:
Now: Specific information about the audition materials is available on the MMEA Website: https://www.massmea.org/auditions. Students can start preparing to audition.
November 1-December 1: Teachers can submit pre-screen videos for students (we will send information about the process of these submissions in late October).
December 15: All State Recommendations from the pre-screen process will be emailed to Teachers.
January 24, 2026: Live auditions at Grafton High School (following all other normal procedures)
Please Note: Students are only allowed to audition for one All State Ensemble. Students who receive an All-State recommendation through their district festival may choose to forfeit that recommendation in order to audition for a pre-screen track - Contemporary Ensemble or Jazz Ensemble Vocals. However, if they do not pass the pre-screen audition, they cannot request to have their original recommendation reinstated. We encourage students to carefully consider their options and discuss with their director to make a choice that feels best for them.
Questions?
Please reach out to Michael Coelho, Auditions Coordinator, at mcoelhommea@gmail.com with any questions.
Thank you for your patience as we’ve been pulling together these many details over the past several months. We are excited to have your students audition for the 4 new All State Ensembles!
Sincerely,
Jared Cassedy, President
Michael Coelho, Auditions Coordinator
Allyson Rottman, Concert Coordinator
Tom Westmoreland, DEIA Chairperson