We were lucky to catch up with Amy Gabbitas recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I always knew that I was a musician primarily because that is just what everyone in my family did. Practicing was, and still is, fun for me. It’s also an outlet and form of meditation. Rehearsals are a great excuse to hang out with friends. My first exposure to chamber music (my primary performance focus) was at a 4th grade assembly. put on by the San Diego Symphony. We were introduced to the various instrument families of an orchestra. Then a woodwind quintet played for us. I had just started playing flute and I knew that someday I would be in a woodwind quintet. Fortunately, I switched to clarinet in 8th grade since my flute chops were never great, even though I practiced. Now I get to introduce young students to the joys of making chamber music through Aspen Winds education concerts.
Amy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
When I founded Aspen Winds, my primary goals were to entertain, educate and inspire audiences. The woodwind quintet genre is fairly obscure and the music I enjoy playing is less than 100 years old. Most people do not know the repertoire. We got creative on how we built our shows. We usually focus on a show theme, include program notes, share insights about the music, and occasionally use narrations and costumes. We soon realized that we could play anything we wanted as long as we guided the audience through the experience. When five professional musicians can comfortably switch between masterpieces such as “Rite of Spring” and donning pirate gear in a choose-your-adventure program, the audience knows that they are in for an experience and not just a lovely concert. We collaborate with other composers and sometimes write our own music. My favorite experiences are when I see and hear young people walk away excited about classical music.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I wish that I had taken business classes in college. Running a successful non-profit took years of muddling through and many mistakes to learn about grant writing, payroll, taxes, contracts and marketing. Each member of my quintet brings knowledge and skills to the group. Everyone is expected to assist with business duties along with performing. It took several personnel changes before we coalesced into a comfortable team. I would say that networking has been my greatest resource. There is always someone who knows the answer to my question and most people are happy to help.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Each work day looks different for me. In a single day I may have personal practice, quintet rehearsal, run a marching band sectional, teach private students and an orchestra rehearsal. Music is my profession and I’m never bored. The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is blessing lives through teaching and performing. I love working with students of all ages and abilities. I still get excited when a student finally masters a scale or does well in a performance. Music is never perfect, but there is always room for improvement. I enjoy helping others improve.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aspenwinds.org/amy-gabbitas
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAspenWinds/
- Youtube: TheAspenWinds