It’s that time of year already where we feature our 2023-24 season Senior musicians! Today we are featuring three string musicians from our violin and viola sections. Learn more about Gloria, Gwen and Abril below!
Gloria
Gloria has been a part of the #TRYPOfam for three years. During her time in TRYPO, Gloria has played violin in our Young Peoples Orchestra ensemble. When asked why she wanted to join TRYPO, Gloria shared “I was really excited to create and enjoy music of all genres with other amazing musicians and to play with a full orchestra for the first time. ” Her favorite memory from her time in TRYPO is playing Capriccio Espagnol at Carnegie Hall in New York during the Conquer Carnegie Tour in 2022. Gloria will be graduating from Fox Chapel Area High School. Her future plans include attending Emory University to study business and computer science. Her advice for future TRYPO musicians is “Thought it may feel tiring in the moment, try to enjoy the process and appreciate the people around you.”
• • •
Gwen
Gwen has been playing viola with TRYPO for two years. She plays in our Young Peoples Orchestra ensemble. When asked why she was interested in joining TRYPO, she responded, “I really enjoy playing the viola and I just wanted to play it even more.” Her favorite TRYPO memory is her first concert in spring of 2023. She loved playing Gershwin’s American in Paris. Gwen is graduating from Chartiers Valley High School and she plans to attend West Liberty University to major in data science with a pre-law minor. She hopes to continue playing music as well. Her advice for future TRYPO musicians is “stay calm during auditions and don’t get nervous. As long as you don’t talk about being nervous, you won’t be nervous.”
• • •
Abril
Abril has been a member of TRYPO’s violin section for four seasons. During that time, she played in Youth Chamber Connection, Symphonette, and Young Peoples Orchestra. When asked why she wanted to join TRYPO she shared, “when I moved to Pittsburgh, I wanted to join my first youth orchestra. I joined TRYPO’s symphonette first and I loved that as my first experience in a youth orchestra. After listening to YPO one day, I wanted to level up someday and join that larger orchestra because the full ensemble blew me away. I was fortunate enough to join YPO later on and it has been one of the best parts of my life during high school.” Abril’s favorite TRYPO memory is the Conquer Carnegie Tour in 2022. “I loved the outdoor activities we got to do at French Woods and the experience of playing in Carnegie Hall,” she says. Abril is graduating from Shady Side Academy and plans to attend a university to major in computer science or a related field. She wants to keep playing violin in some way and hopes to join a student orchestra at the college she attends. She shares “As I get older, I want to give back to youth orchestras like TRYPO in some way because TRYPO was such an important part of my personal and musical development.” Her advice she would like to share with future TRYPO musicians is, “Always remember the reason you fell in love with your instrument and music. Playing your instrument shouldn’t feel forced or like a chore. This way, you’ll be able to truly enjoy playing.”
• • •
Check back next week to see the next group of seniors we are highlighting!