Four students from Richland County High School have been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Ensembles. The event will be held January 28–31, 2026, in Peoria.
These students were chosen through a rigorous audition process, representing the top student-musicians from over 12,000 schools across Illinois. Of approximately 2,400 students who auditioned, only a select few were invited to participate.
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The three RCHS students selected for the All-State Orchestra are Lila Balding (senior), Jereme Higginbotham (junior), and Emma Gilreath (sophomore). Joshua Ochs (junior) was selected to perform in the All-State Band.    

Lila Balding has been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Orchestra on tenor trombone. She has been a dedicated member of the Richland County High School Band since 2022 and has played an integral role in the Marching Tigers during the 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 marching seasons. During this time, Lila marched the trombone and served as the low brass section leader in 2024 and 2025.

In addition to marching band, Lila has played trombone in the premier Honors Wind ensemble and jazz band since she was a freshman in 2022. Her talent in jazz performance was recognized through her participation in the ILMEA District 5 jazz concert in 2023, 2024, and 2025. She also played first trombone in the ILMEA District 5 concert band in 2024 and the orchestra in 2025. Lila also played euphonium in the Olney Youth Symphonic Band and trombone at the OCC community band.
Beyond her ensemble work, Lila is a committed member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, Chapter 8170, where she has been the secretary for two years, starting in 2024. Additionally, in 2024 and 2025, she also participated in the RCHS musical Pit on second trombone. Lila has also competed in IHSA Solo and Ensemble contests in 2022, 2023, and 2024. She performed “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” in 2022, “Lassus Trombone” in 2023, and “A Million Dreams” in 2024, all of which earned a First Superior rating.

After she graduates in 2026, Lila plans to attend Eastern Illinois University to pursue a career in music education.

Jereme Higginbotham has been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Orchestra on percussion. A junior at Richland County High School, Jereme has been an active participant in ILMEA District 5 Bands for five years, earning recognition at multiple levels.
During middle school, he performed in ILMEA Junior Band in 7th and 8th grade, ILMEA Junior Jazz Band in 7th grade, and was selected for the All-Illinois Junior Band State Ensemble in 8th grade. At the high school level, he has been a member of ILMEA Senior Orchestra as a freshman, sophomore, and junior.
Jereme is also an integral member of the RCHS Marching Tigers, performing on 3rd bass drum in 2023 and snare drum in 2024 and 2025, serving as drumline section leader in 2025. He has been a member of the Honors Wind Ensemble since 2023 and has played jazz drumset in the school’s jazz band all three years of high school.
A dedicated musician, Jereme has been a member of Tri-M Honor Music Society Chapter 8170 for three years. He earned a Superior rating in his percussion quartet at the 2024 IHSA Solo & Ensemble contest and an Excellent rating with his percussion trio in 2025. He has also contributed to the orchestral pit for RCHS musicals over the past three years.
After graduating in 2027, Jereme plans to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Joshua Ochs has been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Band on trumpet. A junior at Richland County High School, Joshua has been playing trumpet since fifth grade at St. Joseph Catholic School in Olney, IL. In addition to trumpet, he is proficient on French horn, mellophone, and flugelhorn.
At RCHS, Joshua is an active member of the Jazz Band, Honors Wind Chamber Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and the RCHS Marching Tigers, where he served as trumpet section leader in 2026. Beyond his contributions to the band program, he participates in the Trio Upward Bound program.
Joshua aspires to pursue a career as either an engineer or a high school band director.

Emma Gilreath has been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Orchestra on bass clarinet. A sophomore at Richland County High School, Emma is recognized as a standout clarinetist. She serves as clarinet section leader for the RCHS Marching Tigers and is also an active member of the Symphonic Band, Honors Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Band. Emma is a dedicated member of the Tri-M National Honor Society.
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In 2025, she performed with the ILMEA Senior Orchestra on bass clarinet and has earned top honors at the IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contest, receiving a Superior rating and Best of Day recognition.

Three students from Richland County High School shall participate in the 2025 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State All-State Ensembles. ILMEA will host the event on January 29-February 1, 2025 in Peoria.

These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing over 11,000 schools throughout Illinois. Of roughly 2,400 students that auditioned, only a fraction of students were selected to participate in the event. The RCHS students selected to participate are Ethan Zuber (senior trombonist/All-State Jazz Band), Alex Schneider (junior tuba player/All-State Band), Jereme Higginbotham (freshman percussionist/All-State Band).

Ethan Zuber has been a member of the Richland County High School band program since 2021. He has a member of Marching Tigers since his freshman year and has been a member of low brass up until his junior year. His senior year he served as Drum Major. He has attended the Lincoln Trail Festival since his freshman year and he has played both trombone and euphonium. He has been a member of the Honor Wind Ensemble since his freshman year where he has served as 2nd trombone his Freshman through Junior years, and 1st chair his Senior year. He is also a member of the RCHS Jazz Ensemble where he has served as a trombonist. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, he was selected as a jazz trombonist for the district 5 Illinois Music Education (ILMEA) Jazz Festival on the campus of Eastern Illinois University (EIU). In 2024, he was selected as the principal trombonist for the ILMEA Orchestra festival also on the campus of EIU. His Junior year he was elected as Historian for the Tri-M National Honors Society (chapter 8170), and his senior year he is serving as the president of the honors society. Ethan has served as a trombonist for the Richland County High School musical production of Elf, 9 to 5, SpongeBob, and Annie. He has also received numerous Superior ratings from IHSA Solo and Ensembles competitions. After graduating, he plans to attend either the University of Illinois or to Eastern Illinois University to major in either Music Education or Trombone Performance.

Alex Schneider was selected for the 2025 Illinois Music Education (ILMEA) All-State Band. He also participated in the District 5 ILMEA Band in 2024. Alex is currently a member of the Honors Wind Ensemble, Marching Tigers, and Symphonic Band as a Tubist. He also is enrolled in the Jazz Band as a Trumpet player. He is a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society (chapter 8170).

Along with music Alex is a 2-sport varsity athlete in baseball and soccer. Alex also serves as the Executive board Vice President for the Richland County High School Student Council, which he has been in for 3 years.

Jereme Higginbotham was selected to participate in the 2025 Illinois Music Education (ILMEA) All-State Band. He is currently a sophomore at Richland County High School. He has participated in ILMEA District 5 Bands for 4 years. Jereme accomplished ILMEA Junior Band his 7th and 8th grade year, and ILMEA Junior Jazz Band his 7th grade year. He was also selected for the All Illinois Junior Band State Ensemble in his 8th grade year. In his current high school career, he accomplished ILMEA Senior Orchestra his freshman and sophomore year. Jereme is a participant of the RCHS Marching Tigers, where he played 3rd bass drum in the ‘23 season and snare drum in the ‘24 season. He has been a member of the Honors Wind Ensemble since 2023. He is also a member of the school’s jazz band, where he has played jazz drumset his freshman and sophomore year. Jereme is currently a member of the Tri-M Honor Music Society Chapter 8170, which he has been a part of for 2 years. He participated in the IHSA Solo and Ensemble contest of 2024 and obtained a Superior in his percussion quartet. He has also participated in the orchestral pit for the high school’s musicals the past 2 years.

After graduating in 2027, Jereme plans to attend the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana to pursue a degree in the field of Science.

Two students from Richland County High School shall participate in the 2024 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State All-State Ensembles. ILMEA will host the event on January 25-27, 2023 in Peoria.

These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing nearly 11,000 schools throughout Illinois. Of the thousands of students that auditioned, only a fraction of students were selected to participate in the event. The two RCHS students selected to participate are Emma Wells (senior/senior band), & Aidan Gomez (senior/jazz band).

Four students from Richland County High School shall participate in the 2023 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State All-State Ensembles. ILMEA will host the event on January 26-28, 2023 in Peoria.

These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing over 12,000 schools throughout Illinois. Of roughly 2,400 students that auditioned, only a fraction of students were selected to participate in the event. The four RCHS students selected to participate were Kyle Rennier (senior/jazz band), Victoria Zwilling (orchestra/band), Evan Irvin (senior/jazz band), & Emma Wells (junior/band).

Four students from Richland County High School participated in the 2018 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Music Conference. The All-State conference occurred from January 25th until January 27th, 2018 in Peoria, IL. These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing over 12,000 schools throughout Illinois. Of approximately 2,500 students that auditioned, only a fraction of students were selected to participate in the event.

From left (back) to right (front), the Richland County High School students that participated in All-State included Shey Long (Senior/ Honors Band on contrabass clarinet) & Caleb Thomas (Senior/ Honors Band on clarinet), Ethan Steber (All-State Orchestra on clarinet), and Delaney Shryock (Senior / Future Music Educators Seminar).

Two students from Richland County High School participated in the 2017 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Music Conference. The All-State conference occurred from January 26th until January 28th, 2017 in Peoria, IL. These students were selected from a rigorous audition process as the top student-musicians representing over 12,000 schools throughout Illinois. Of approximately 2,500 students that auditioned, only a fraction of students were selected to participate in the event.

From left to right, the Richland County High School students that participated in All-State included Victoria Kittle (Senior/ All-State Orchestra) & Ethan Steber (Sophomore/ All-State Band on clarinet).