This is the fifteenth installment of a new chapter in our Student Features series on the blog that we will be posting leading up to the 2017 Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha. Music for All will be featuring three honor ensembles (Honor Band of America, Honor Orchestra of America, and the Jazz Band of America) at the Music for All National Festival, March 9th through March 11th. We look forward to getting to know all of these wonderful students who have been accepted into these prestigious ensembles!
Name: Gabriel Rupe
Hometown: Lafayette, CO
School Name: Denver School of the Arts
Instrument: Bass
Which Ensemble Are You In?
Jazz Band of America
What made you decide to apply to be a part of the ensemble?
My band director, Dave Hammond, along with my fellow classmates, Rico Jones and Erik Ondrejko, recommended it.
What are three things you’ve learned from being involved in band or orchestra?
1. Music is the universal language.
2. Music makes the unseen seen.
3. Music is the greatest gift of all.
Most memorable moment in band or orchestra?
Performing a tribute to Milt Hinton with John Clayton, Peter Washington, and others at the Vail Jazz Festival.
Besides band/orchestra, what are you involved in at school?
Nothing–music is the only thing I do.
What book have you read that you would recommend?
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Beneath the Underdog by Charles Mingus.
What’s your favorite song or piece of music?
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E minor Op. 39
Favorite ice cream flavor?
It always changes.
What’s your favorite non-music related hobby or past time?
History.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give a friend who needs some inspiration or motivation?
Shed.
What’s your current plan for what you want to do after graduating high school?
Be a Cat.
Have you participated in MFA/BOA events before? Which ones?
No.
Tell us something interesting/unique about you:
I play bass.
