Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
Del Rio, Texas is located on the US/Mexico border and is approximately 156 miles west of San Antonio with a population of 35,000 residents; 83% of which are of Hispanic descent. Del Rio High School (DRHS) currently has 46.99% of its student population living below the poverty line. The city has only one school district, San Felipe-Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District, which is comprised of eight elementary schools, one 6th grade campus, one 7th and 8th grade campus and one high school, all of which qualify for Title 1 status. As the only high school in the city, the band program is vital to our community.
The Del Rio High School Band program consists of several award-winning ensembles including: three UIL Sweepstakes Concert Bands, two Jazz Ensembles, two Mariachi Ensembles, and a Color Guard program. All musical organizations in the program provide 3 concerts a year which are open to the public. Students also participate in the TMEA All-State Audition process in Band, Jazz, and Mariachi. DRHS, additionally, has an award-winning Marching Band program. The Marching Band is a 9-time Bands of America Regional Finalist, a class Champion, and a former UIL State Qualifier.
The DRHS band staff is composed of a head director, assistant director, and a percussion director who also teaches at all feeder middle schools. The Del Rio Middle School 7th and 8th grade instrumental music program is led by two band directors; Del Rio’s 6th grade campus is conducted by two other band directors. All directors team-teach each of the musical ensembles at the high school and middle school levels. The high school band program is supported by a dedicated band booster organization that provides students with clinicians and consultants to enrich the students' musical experience.
The Del Rio High School Jazz Ensemble has established itself as one of the premier High School Jazz organizations in South and Central Texas despite not having access to private lessons on account of its rural location and socioeconomic status. Since 2016, the Del Rio High School Jazz program has boasted the highest number of students selected for the All-Region Jazz Band and has earned chairs at both the Area and All-State levels. It has been awarded “Outstanding Jazz Ensemble” at the Hill Country Jazz Festival and South Texas Jazz Festival, placed in the top 3 at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Jazz Festival and Rio Grande Valley Jazz Festival. The program has boasted “Superior” ratings at every competitive event since its current director began teaching the ensemble in 2016. This ensemble plays a wide array of musical styles and genres. In the past this ensemble has studied and played the works of “Mary Lou Williams”, “Count Basie”, “Benny Goodman”, “Johnny Hodges”, “Billy Strayhorn”, “Dizzy Gillespie”, “A.K. Salim”, “Harry White”, “Stevie Wonder”, and “Chick Corea” among many others. The heart of the curriculum of this ensemble is dedicated to the study and performance of the works of “Duke Ellington”.
Del Rio High School Jazz Ensemble
Conductor's Bio
Aldo Christopher Morales is currently in his second year as Director of Bands at Del Rio High School in Del Rio TX. Mr. Morales spent 10 years as the primary conductor of various Del Rio Non-Varsity School Bands. Mr. Morales received his Bachelor of Music degree from Texas A&M University – Kingsville in 2011 and in 2016, went on to receive his Master of Music degree from Tarleton State University. In 2012, he began his teaching career as the Beginning Brass teacher at San Felipe Memorial Middle School (6th Grade). In 2013-2014, he taught the Non-Varsity Band and brass students at Del Rio Middle School (7th and 8th Grade). In 2014, Mr. Morales began teaching the Marching Band and Non-Varsity Symphonic Winds at Del Rio High School.
Mr. Morales currently directs the Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble and assists the Mariachi de Media Noche at Del Rio High School. Other duties consist of overseeing and assisting all aspects of the Concert Band and Symphonic Winds.
The Del Rio High School Marching Band under Mr. Morales’s direction is a nine time “Bands of America” Regional Finalist advancing in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. The Marching Band is a four time 6A UIL Area Marching Finalist, advancing in 2016, 2020, 2021 and 2022. They are the Reigning “Bands of America South Texas Regional Class 3A Champion”. In 2020, during the CoVid-19 Pandemic, the band advanced to the 6A UIL State Marching Championships for the first time in school history. The bands, under the direction of Mr. Morales, are consistent “Sweepstakes’’ award winners in UIL Concert and Sight-Reading. The Del Rio High School Jazz Ensemble has placed in the top 3 of various Jazz Festivals in South and Central Texas.
Mr. Morales has previously presented at the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention and has served as an All-Region Band Clinician in both ATSSB and TMEA. In 2022, Mr. Morales was selected by “School Band and Orchestra Magazine” to represent the State of Texas in their annual issue of “50 Directors Who Make a Difference”. He is a current member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association.
Mr. Morales is committed to the development of Band programs in Title I schools across the state of Texas. In his free time, Mr. Morales enjoys spending time with his sons Miles and Bennett, his wife Kasey and his cat “Boots”. He is grateful for the guidance and mentorship of the San Felipe Del Rio Fine Arts Director, Ricardo Rios and Jarrett Lipman of CT Johnson High School in San Antonio, TX.
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