2020 Arts Award: Gabriel Valle
by Ally Lardner ‘21
Senior Gabriel Valle reflects on his time at Boston College as a member of the Chamber Music Society and Boston College Symphony Orchestra.
Gabriel Valle ‘20
Major: History and Music
Chamber Music Society: Violinist
Boston College Symphony Orchestra: Violinist
How have you been involved in the arts at BC?
Mostly through the Music Department: Chamber Music Society and Orchestra. I’ve been involved with Orchestra three years and Chamber Music all four years.
Chamber Music is usually groups of anywhere from 2–5 people at a time, and you get the opportunity to choose who you play with. Other times, your first year especially, you’re put in a group, but then you can get really close with those people, and you can end up working with them again later on. It’s a really nice way to meet people across grades. I know I was really worried about Chamber Music at the beginning, because the groups are smaller. So I thought I wouldn’t feel connected with the other people who are in it, but Sandy (Hebert) does a great job of making it feel like one big community.
Orchestra is also a lot of fun, getting to meet with everyone twice a week, and getting to rehearse with everybody. I feel like I've gotten to know everyone involved pretty well.
What is the most meaningful arts experience you’ve had at BC?
I think the most meaningful experience I've had in Chamber Music was probably playing through the entire Archduke Trio last year. We had Professor McGrann coaching us. He doesn’t coach a lot of things, but he’s a Beethoven scholar at BC, and it was a Beethoven piece so that was a real experience with everything that he knew. It was also the first time I had performed that piece. It was definitely a lot of work, but it was rewarding at the end.
For orchestra, I don’t have one specific experience. But every year there's a concerto competition, so getting to see others perform, and see what they’ve been training for is always impressive to watch.
How has your experience in the arts at BC informed your next step after graduation?
I was a musician before BC, I’ve taken violin for sixteen years now. BC’s definitely helped me realize that I always want to play music no matter what I do. I'm going to law school, but I know I still want to play chamber music and be involved, and that was something that was solidified at BC.
What advice do you have for underclassmen about getting involved in the arts at BC?
Don't be afraid of people judging you, or people thinking you're not going to be good enough to get involved. I truly mean this, and I know people say this all the time, but the Chamber Music Society is a really inclusive community.
There is a place for you, without a doubt, no matter your skill set.
And there's room to grow within the four years you’re there. It’s not like you go in, and where you’re at is where you’ll always be. You’re very much given the opportunity to develop and become a better all-around person.
I knew BC had an orchestra, but I didn’t know they had a Chamber Music Society going in. There was an informational session the first weekend, and all of the professors gave a talk. It all sounded interesting, so I went up to Professor Hebert, who runs Chamber Music Society, and talked to her about it. She was very enthusiastic about it, I could tell she cared a lot. That made me really interested and excited to join, so I auditioned and kind of went on from there! I actually played a piece with the first group I was in this past year as a senior, right before we left campus.
Who’s your inspiration or influence in the arts at BC?
At BC, definitely the three people who’ve had the biggest influence on me are Professor Hebert, Professor McGrann and Professor Lee. Professor Hebert has always been there for me on the technical side, helping how I play, coaching me in Chamber Music. She’s just been a huge influence to push me to be better and develop as a musician. Professor McGrann has been a great academic and life advisor. He’s like my unofficial advisor. I feel really close with him and that I can talk to him about pretty much everything. Professor Lee has been my professor for theory classes. I’ve always struggled with that study, but he’s made it really interesting and I always look forward to his classes.
It’s a really close community at BC, and it never really feels as much as a professor/student relationship as much as a relationship of equals.
You feel that you have someone you can go to and who you can trust in the Music Department professors. That’s something special that I haven't really had at any other level of schooling. I went to a very small high school—classes were twelve people max, and even there I didn't feel anywhere as close to my professors as I do here. It really is a family and I think that’s unique.