Pace senior Gabriela Gutierrez-Perez accepted to top schools
Education
By Rene D. Basulto, Special to The Miami Laker
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Pace High School senior Gabriela Gutierrez-Perez may be most well-known among her peers for playing the violin, as she has in several on-stage performances and Open Mic Nights. However, it is her prowess with the harp that has led to her being accepted to three prestigious undergraduate institutes –the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Miami, and the University of Michigan. All institutions have offered her scholarships with amounts of up to $40,000.00 per year.
Gutierrez-Perez, who started playing the violin at age 6, took up the harp at age 12 and also plays the clarinet and piano. “I thought [the harp] was a cool instrument and I already had a background with the violin,” said Gutierrez-Perez.
“She’s been playing with the South Florida Youth Orchestra for seven years and she composes her own music,” said Ross Goldman, lead teacher for Pace’s Academy of Visual & Performing Arts Music Program.
Gutierrez-Perez credits Goldman and Pace for exposing her to more styles of music, which diversified and strengthened her background in classical music. She also says that Goldman helped her greatly with how to market herself and pursue a career in music.
She added that while she doesn’t see a lot of people playing the harp, it has given her more opportunities for jobs and there is a higher demand for harpists. “The harp is not just a beautiful instrument, it’s actually a work of engineering,” she said. “I really hope to give the harp a lot more use and I really want to bring it back.”
Gutierrez-Perez says that while she hasn’t decided on where she is headed, she does plan on applying as a double major in music and astronomy.