Gabby Vivona
Clarinet
Gabby is a student woodwind doubler located in Southern California currently pursuing a B.M. in Clarinet Performance at California Baptist University. In addition to playing clarinet, she also plays bass clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, and flute. Gabby aspires to play professionally in orchestras and in the pit, and is actively working on expanding her contacts and gaining relevant industry experience. She loves musical theatre, having performed “Seussical: The Musical,” “Sideshow,” and “Hello, Dolly!” at local middle and high schools as a student herself. She has also performed in CBU’s inaugural production of Donizetti’s “Elixir of Love,” and as principal clarinetist of Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliette.” Most recently, she was an orchestra member hand-selected by Dr. Glenn Pickett for the world premiere of his newest work “Dietrich & Maria” (2023), a musical theatre production depicting the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer during WWII in Nazi Germany. During this show, she performed on clarinet, bass clarinet, and tenor saxophone. At CBU, she is the principal clarinetist of the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and the touring and nationally recognized University Choir and Orchestra. For fun, she also performs in student chamber groups as well as the Pep Band for CBU’s Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams. Through her participation in ensembles at CBU, Gabby has participated in recording sessions for both Tommy Walker and Semsen Music. Her teachers include Jim Turner, John Reilly, and David Chang. Gabby is learning and gigging simultaneously, and can often be found performing in various local churches. Gabby’s accolades include winning the Four Seasons Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition (2020), with her performance of Weber’s Clarinet Concerto, no. 2, movement II. She was a member of the orchestra for 4 years as principal clarinetist, playing under the baton of Dr. Mark Alpizar, Mr. Denny Bui, and Dr. Dean Anderson. Gabby has also played with the Southern California Youth Symphony Orchestra, Dana Point Symphony Orchestra, Irvine Symphony, and the Santa Monica Youth Orchestra. On top of passionately studying, Gabby teaches privately online and out of her home and has been working at Lake Elsinore Middle School as their clarinet coach for the past two years.