Nacogdoches High School recently announced that they have a state champion in their midst.  Antonio 'Nio' Ajero is a senior at NHS and is quite the prodigy.  He has been playing the piano for audiences since he was a toddler.  Now, Ajero is a state champion in Texas.  He recently competed in the Music Teachers National Association Texas State Senior Piano Competition and Ajero was named best in Texas.

Antonio Ajero is the son of Mario and Gina Ajero.  He has been studying piano for over 14 years and is currently a student of Minhae Lee at Stephen F. Austin State University and Linda Parr at SFA’s Music Prep Division.  By winning the state competition, Ajero has earned the right to compete as a Division Finalist in the Music Teachers National Association South Central Division Senior Piano Competition. The winner of the division competition will compete in the National Finals. Division winners will be announced in mid-January.

I've included some videos of his performances, one when he was only 8, and the other from an SFA recital in 2020.

 

 

I'm a big fan of classical piano music.  I actually took piano lessons when I was a kid.  At my first recital, I played 'Skip to My Lou'.  Actually, I played part of it.  Halfway through the song, I forgot the rest of it.  Did I mention it was my only recital?

A big congratulations to 'Nio' Ajero.  You have made your school and all of East Texas very proud of you.

MTNA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1876 and  comprised of 17,000 independent and collegiate music teachers committed to advancing the value of music study and music making to society and to supporting the professionalism of music teachers.Music Teachers National Association is the oldest professional music association in the United States.

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