For Aiden Armendariz, it’s all about that bass — double bass that is.
As a freshman, Armendariz, a Permian Orchestra string bass player, was selected as the Outstanding Bass Performer at the 2022 Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest in Austin on the campus of the University of Texas.
Kendra Burton, in the PHS Choir, was also selected as an Outstanding Performer.
Of the 100,000 students participating in the regional UIL Music Contests and 10,000 of musicians who performed at TSSEC, only 1%-2% of the solo performers earn the distinguished honor of outstanding performer, a news release said.
This achievement is truly a mark of musical excellence. Awards of this nature do not come easily and reflect the efforts of many individuals, an email from Orchestra Head Director Todd Berridge.
Armendariz, who is a sophomore this year, performed the music in front of a university professor at the state level and did it from memory.
Along with the double bass, Armendariz, 15, plays guitar, a “bit of piano here and there” and likes to mess around the drums a lot.
“I do like little, cool funny things like ukulele or harmonica,” Armendariz said.
Berridge said it is very rare for a freshman to receive the outstanding performer award.
“… I think that may be the first freshman we’ve ever had that happen (to) here at Permian. So it’s extremely rare, and it’s extremely rare across the state because a lot of the freshmen don’t go to that. Usually that’s for the upper grades. That’s an optional thing that we do here at Permian and he wanted to do it, so of course we gave our blessings. He did it all himself. He went down there, practiced the music; hired the accompanist; worked with his professor on the bass; and then did it. This is all Aiden,” Berridge said.
Armendariz said he had the solo he performed in competition this year since he was in sixth grade. He and his old orchestra director Vivian Chen were planning to perform it when he was in seventh grade, but COVID happened and they never got to.
Eventually, two years later, when Armendariz joined Permian he decided to take on the state contest.
“It’s finally cool to see that what I prepared with my orchestra director back in middle school, I finally have accomplished it and gotten it done and actually did it better than what I used to play it back in middle school,” he said.
Mark Morton at Texas Tech University is Armendariz’s bass instructor.
“He’s a really talented guy,” Armendariz said. “He has his doctorate in music and he’s accomplished a lot …,” Armendariz said.
He added that for himself, he feels the guitar is harder to play than the double bass.
“Maybe it’s just because I’m used to guitar already, but I think it’s harder than guitar because on the guitar, there are frets. Those frets help to ensure, for sure, that you’re in tune. But on stringed instruments in orchestra, you don’t have frets on the neck on the instrument. So you actually have to use your ear and make sure your finger lands exactly right on that note … It’s just a large instrument, too, so you have to be moving around a lot, too,” Armendariz said.
In middle school, he chose to be in band, but they didn’t have a lot of instruments open, so he was chosen to play French horn.
“But when the first day of sixth grade started, they actually sent me to orchestra instead of band, so I was kind of like, I thought I was going to do French Horn. I didn’t really make a fuss out of it because I don’t like to make a fuss out of anything. But just sitting in an orchestra, I noticed this big instrument in the corner and it looked like something they would use in Elvis’ little band …,” Armendariz said.
He added that he went through a huge Elvis phase.
“I always watched his concert videos …,” Armendariz said.
He added that there was one guy in the back plucking the double bass and he thought it looked cool.
“I guess it was a blessing,” Armendariz said referring to being sent to orchestra instead of band.
He added that he was always around music. His uncle listened to Led Zeppelin and The Eagles, among others.
He said his mother listens to all kinds of music, as well.
“… So I have an appreciation for every (kind of) music and I went through this huge Beatle phase in third grade and that’s when I decided to pick up the guitar. …,” Armendariz said.
He added that he wanted to play music like the Beatles and Elvis.
“I even wanted to have my hair like the Beatles. That was before I knew my hair was going to be all long and curly,” Armendariz said.
Although winning the Outstanding Bass performer is extraordinary, but Armendariz feels he can reach higher.
“I think it is a great achievement. It’s just for some reason … I can’t see it as a big thing. I guess sometimes I like to shoot for a lot of great things. I guess it’s just me being me because I think I could like do a lot more, but I guess this is just like a milestone …,” Armendariz said.
Berridge said there are more achievements in Armendariz’s future.
“… You can use this as a springboard into university auditions. It looks really good on a resume. He can also do all-state and that … might be a little bit of a higher honor … and be a three-year all-stater. That’s something he could work on. So it’s like he said, it’s a milestone. It’s a stepping stone. But the fact that he was able to do this as a freshman, it’s just an immense, immense honor,” Berridge said.
“Now that he’s done this, I expect bigger and better.”
Armendariz said he would like to pursue music as a career.
“… I like to produce a lot of music on my own. I like to go back home and make stuff for fun that I like, even if other people don’t like it, I like to make stuff that I like. And with bass, I actually do want to pursue it in school, even going to college and doing that. …,” he said.
His big goal is to go to Julliard, study bass and play in symphonies. He also wants to produce music on his own.
Berridge said double bass is something that universities are always looking for like a piccolo player or a good oboist.
“… If you’ve got a good double bass, then that means you’ve got a solid foundation in orchestra. … Even concert bands are now starting to put double bass in the concert band because it lends a little bit more of a percussive element to the ensemble. … It’s real thickening. So yeah, if you are good bass player, schools will lineup. Line forms on the left for that,” he added.
Berridge said he has been able to have double bass players in orchestra over the years.
“I’ve been extremely lucky to have the students that we have — and have had — in the past. We’ve just lucked out with the fact that these kids have come up through … our feeder system and have been really, really good musicians. We’re blessed with Aiden because he comes in with a natural ability, but he’s also willing to learn …,” he added.
In Satin Strings, Berridge said he and Armendariz form the rhythm section with Berridge playing guitar and Armendariz playing bass.
“We’ve got a really good understanding of where each other’s going and we feed off each other really well. We know how to play in the pocket extremely well together. It’s a good symbiotic thing that we’ve got going on here. Honestly, if we can keep that pipeline going, as long as we have a foundation, we can build on that,” Berridge said.
