2020
Oil on Linen
20 x 24″

Gabriel Esperon
Playing his violin while being interviewed and painted on February 23, 2020.
A delightful experience.

ER: What is your Name? What is your nickname? Do you have a childhood nickname?
GE: My name is Gabriel Esperon. Most people call me Gabe.

ER: How old are you?
GE: I am 17 years old and I play the violin.

ER: What is your favorite saying or quote?
GE: I was in a master class with Stephan Jackiw at Eastern Music Festival in 2018. One of my friends finished a piece and she said it wasn’t as good as she wanted. He said…
“Every great piece of music is like a great novel. When you read a book you don’t assign each character the same voice in your head. A tense part in the story will be different than when you are reading a peaceful part in the story. Comparing a great novel to a great piece of music can help you picture what you want to do with the music. “ That really affected the way I play. Now I look at the way I play the violin like reading a book.

ER: Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Where do you call home?
GE: I was born at South Miami Hospital. I grew up in Miami until I was 11. Then I moved to Coral Springs, Florida. Every summer I have travelled the US and Europe to different music festivals.
Coral Springs is home for now.

ER: Where are your parents/grandparents from? How did they influence you today? (Big question)
GE: My mother’s grandfather is still alive. His name is Pedro Brito, and he is from Cuba. He grew up in Havana, Cuba. Both of my parents are Cuban. My father’s great grandparents grew up in the Canary Islands and they came to Cuba. My Mother’s grandparents grew up in Cuba and their parents came from Spain.
My great grandfather has done a lot for me. I really love him. He is a very kind spirited man. He was actually in prison for a large part of his life. Under Castro he was part of the revolution. He was let out of prison after 10 – 20 years or so. He was very morally strong. He has such a strong will and a great person. He lives in Miami and is almost 90 now.

ER: What is your heritage (ethnicity)?
GE: Cuban American

ER: Do you speak another language?
GE: Yes, I speak Spanish. I have been speaking Spanish since I was born. I am learning Chinese.

ER: What is your favorite color?
GE: It used to be blue. Now I feel like it is red.

ER: What is your passion? What are you doing when you are most happy?
GE: Playing the violin. I discovered that the violin was what I wanted to do after playing with a real orchestra and wonderful musicians. They were truly motivated and knew what they wanted to do. It really defines who I am. It gives me my personality and a way to express myself to the public.

ER: Do you have a mission? A reason for doing that which is your passion?
GE: My mission is to spread appreciation for great music by performing for as many audiences as I can, as classical music is an incredibly vibrant part of human culture that ought to be recognized and preserved.
I see music itself as an instrument that removes all limits on the expression of human emotion.
Like our ever changing facial expressions, music is unique in that the listener does not have to interpret and study it as one would with a written or spoken language like German, Chinese, or Spanish, to understand its underlying emotional meaning and context.

ER: What is / was your profession? Is this profession what you were meant to do? Why?
GE: I hope to become a professional concert violinist. I have wanted to become a concert violinist ever since I realized classical music is one of the most beautiful aspects of human culture. The classical music world has also provided me with a means to meet many inspiring and intelligent people in collaborations and learning environments, as well as in audiences.

ER: What are you really good at doing? Why?
GE: I consider myself a constant work in progress. I take pride in practicing long hours on the violin, hopefully working towards the final product of virtuosity on the instrument, able to effortlessly communicate the intended message in any composition.

ER: What do you do that might change the world? Why?
GE: By performing I hope that I can make audiences aware of the importance of preserving and understanding classical music.

ER: What makes you feel like part of a community? Why?
GE: I feel like part of a community when I can connect with others, sharing our back stories and growing our relationship as we work together towards our goals, learning from one another.

ER: What is the most interesting thing you have ever done?
GE: The most interesting thing I have ever done is leave the US for a festival in Italy in 2019. It felt like I was in a completely different world, with new experiences bombarding me around every corner.

ER: What is your greatest accomplishment?
GE: My greatest accomplishments are being accepted to study at multiple festivals, winning music scholarships, and getting into college conservatories.

ER: What are your regrets?
GE: Not taking the violin seriously at a young age, and not paying attention to people telling me important information that would be crucial to my future.

ER: What are your struggles?
GE: My main struggles have always been financial, constantly moving and living in small apartments for more affordable rent with my mother and sisters. I am thankful to be fortunate enough to have received aid in grants and scholarships allowing me to attend university and festivals.

ER: What are your greatest adventures?
GE: When I traveled to Italy in 2019 alone at 17 years old. I experienced life as an independent young aspiring violinist for the first time, free learn and explore on my own.