Gabe Sears, a senior at La Cueva High School, won the Colonel George S. Howard Young Artist Competition, a national music competition sponsored by the United States Air Force Band, for this year.

Sears learned about the competition through Keith Jordan, the La Cueva band director.

“I got this thing online from the Air Force Band. I kept looking at it, and I was going, ‘Wow, Gabe should do this. This sounds cool,’” said Jordan.

Auditioning students had to play a percussion or bass instrument and be in high school, grades 9-12.

To win, Sears had to first send in a videotape of himself playing, along with an optional tape or CD, which he made with Karl Hinterbichler, a music professor at UNM.

Sears played the first movement of the Tuba Concerto by Edward Gregson, which was the required piece for auditioning tubas.

“I’ve been practicing [the audition piece] for about 45 minutes since June 2005, at least 45 minutes a day,” said Sears.

By Dec. 1, the finalists were mailed a letter; Sears was one of them.

“[He] got accepted as one of the five finalists, which we thought was an incredible honor,” said Jordan.

Sears then went to the Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., to audition with the other finalist on Jan. 5.

“It was the best I’ve ever played, ever,” said Sears.

Later, after the auditions were done, Sears found out he had won.

“I had to go up there and shake all the judge’s hands. I was just shocked,” said Sears.

The news soon spread in New Mexico.

“We were in All State, Donna Schmidt, his teacher, got a phone call, and she’s yelling at me, ‘Gabe won! Gabe won! Gabe won!’” said Jordan. “So I’m going to each band down at the All State and saying ‘Gabe won! Gabe won!’”.

Until now, the competition, which is going into its twelfth year, has never had a tuba player as a winner nor anyone from New Mexico.

For winning, Sears will get to play with the United States Air Force Band as a featured soloist. He will perform on Feb. 26 in the Daughter of the American Revolution Constitutional Hall, which is in Washington D.C., at 3 p.m. He will be playing the audition piece.

Sears has been playing the tuba for six years. He started off on the baritone trombone in fifth grade but later switched to the tuba.

Sears currently plays the tuba in the La Cueva Wind Ensemble, Albuquerque Youth Symphony, and Southwest Honor Band.

In past years, Sears has also participated in All State, another music program for high school students, but was unable to participate this year because it conflicted with his audition for the competition. In addition, Sears plays the bass trombone in the La Cueva Jazz Band.