Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Maldonado.
Gabrielle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve played piano since I was five years old and had the opportunity to play for a musical at my high school. The first musical I played was Godspell, and the first musical I got to perform in was You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. Playing and acting in musicals brought a new found love of music for me. I was no longer learning individual pieces for my own enjoyment; I felt I served a greater purpose, to support other artists with my art and being the main instrumentation of these musicals.
Both of those experiences helped me understand how to become a better Music Director from the actor’s perspective and how to help ease them into learning challenging harmonies and ways to bring out the very important musicality of the pieces in a show. When getting into my first MD gig, I was in a production of Bare: a Pop Opera, where unfortunately, our MD ended up getting very sick (she’s completely fine now) and was unable to attend rehearsals. After my friends in the cast pointed me out to the director as being a pianist, I was able to help save the production while our MD’s health improved and taught the cast the rest of their parts in time. I was confused how something like this could just fall into my lap, but another small piece of me thought that maybe this was supposed to be coming my way because it was meant for me. Since that show, I have been Music Directing multiple shows every year for the last ten years.
With a BA in Psychology from CSULB and an MA in Teaching/Education from USC, I often gave myself pushback for pursuing music. Music acted as my second job for nearly a decade until I recently took the leap of becoming a full-time musician. As terrifying as it was initially, I have had faith in my talent, attention to detail, kindness and respect toward other artists, and flexibility when working with different casts and crews.
During the pandemic, I connected with a writer and producer at CASA0101 in Boyle Heights, Abel Alvarado, to help develop the concept for an original musical, ARENA: a House Musical. This show uncovered much of the gay scene in Hollywood in the 90s amidst the rising HIV/AIDS cases through the eyes of a young man as he sought to better understand himself. The story includes many historical elements of people and instances from real life, such as Miss Martin, an inspiring and unique artist and hostess at Arena. Finalizing the lyrics, music directing the production, arranging some vocal parts, acting in one version of the production, and writing some songs for the show allowed me to further my love of musicals and find joy in originality in the world of Musical Theatre. Since then, the show has gotten traction and been performed three times total, including a premiere at the Renberg Theatre at the LGBTQ Center in Hollywood, only blocks away from where the original Arena stood. Arena is still undergoing changes.
Most recently, I was able to work with many local children in East LA in a production of Matilda Jr as MD and as Miss Honey. It brings me great joy to use Musical Theatre to bring out the creativity of these young children. I hope to see Musical Theatre be offered to more individuals who are less likely to be exposed to theatre without theatres, such as CASA0101. Not only has my position at CASA0101 brought exposure to children and families in the community, it has also brought opportunity to these children who might not traditionally be cast in some theatres. I was able to incorporate both my Masters and my love of music while working with children and enjoying such a multifaceted art form.
During the holidays, I also have the privilege of performing with the acapella holiday group, The Noelles, who perform all over Southern California, primarily in Los Angeles. Playing for public venues such as the Santa Monica Pier and The Grove has also been a way in which I get to bring music to the community. Performing with this group has allowed me to take into account how different environments and audiences can affect vocalists while Music Directing shows of different ages.
At the collegiate level, I enjoy boosting the confidence of so many driven students who are seeking a career in the performing arts. So many students are willing to learn and are exposed to so much on a consistent basis that it has become a skill in itself to quiet the outside noise and really focus on the details of pieces within a show. With the right resources uplifting and purposeful rehearsals, we are able to produce quality shows where these young adults feel they are not just singers; they are musicians.
Throughout the day, I get to inspire students at Paramount High School during the day as their accompanist for the vocal music department. Fully accepting my musical gifts in tandem with my love of teaching abilities has allowed me to live more authentically and live a fulfilling life where I can experience art in different ways every day with people of all ages and have the opportunities to tell original stories along with shows that already exist.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I often fought myself when I was younger to be more traditionally successful. I wanted so badly to be a therapist. In a way, I act as a different type of emotional support to actors and vocalists through music. I had to figure out my way in the music world one step at a time, with it taking ten years for me to give into doing what I knew I loved.
In my early twenties, I prepared and auditioned for CSUNS Music Therapy program with no piano teacher and no mentor. After getting in and enjoying the opportunities I had there, I felt it was unfortunately not the area of music I felt most drawn to. I felt like I was a failure, coming back home from school to a house being sold by my parents and needing to find a place to stay while getting back into CSULB. I had even moved in with other artist friends thinking I was be able to play and create consistently while saving some money and had a major falling out, resulting in couch surfing and living out of my car for a month. I constantly worked at least two jobs at a time to become more stable and ended up finding a new roommate and home.
All of these experiences led me to where I am now, being in an emotional state where I am able to practice constant self-love and care through music. I hope to continue to push through any future adversities to climb my way up and up as a well-known and motivational Music Director who focuses on the actors and their experiences over perfection. So much has changed. I no longer feel like I’m failing myself by not choosing convention and just opted to live and exist as myself, a musician.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I still continue to take time to audition and Music Direct shows so that I don’t forget the actor’s perspective and how it is constantly evolving.
Although I’m involved in many things at once, each project has been a growth opportunity for me to learn and become better at both performing and Music Directing.
I wrote about it in some of the other sections, but I feel that I specialize in building actor’s self-efficacy and holding them to a high standard while being inspiring and helpful. Actors often surprise themselves with what they can do, how they can make a piece their own by bringing certain emotive qualities to it, and how to tell a story better through voice. Similar to a classroom, each production is different. Each group of actors is different, and they might need different materials in order to be successful. From practice tracks to rhythm practice to brief music theory lessons and explanations, I seek to help make these actors better musicians and help them walk away with more knowledge than they had previously to continue developing as artists. Some casts might not read music as much as others. Some might need different types of visuals and different timelines to learn music. A receptive MD can notice these differences and adapt to the needs of a cast through hard work, kindness, and respect.
In terms of what I’m known for, I’d like to think I’m known for finding new ways to expand my MD skills through original shows and not being scared to take on different types of shows with different ages of cast. I enjoy the variety of locations I get to work to see how each theatre runs differently and how to make an inclusive and safe environment for actors. I hope to be approachable and helpful. I want to always be supportive and kind to actors and creatives alike.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I have found a mentor who learns with me and believes in me wholeheartedly, Abel Alvarado. I sat with him for weeks on end during the pandemic, 6 ft apart, in a studio garage with our director, Rigo Tejeda, to build on pieces from our co-collaborator Daniel Sugimoto and write original songs for Arena: a House Musical. Later, we brought on another individual named Ben Larson, who has done a tremendous amount of work on writing new pieces and working together with my lyrics to put them to music and take concepts from Abel to create a forward-moving essential piece to the story. This entire team, especially Abel, has helped me see how attainable creating is. It just requires the diligence and motivation to complete your creation and make it tangible and enjoyable by others, but it is doable. It is such a rewarding experience to work with creatives to who work hard to get their thoughts on paper and on the stage.
I am also in a (new) band where I am the keyboardist called Lau Miranda and the BNTX (Bantics). Each of the band members’ skills has helped strengthen those that are lacking on my end to become an overall better musician.
Both Rigo (CASA0101) and my good friend and director, Miguel Cardenas, have also given me the opportunity to swing shows and allow me to perform when needed. They allow me to use my musical abilities to pick up things quickly and support when unexpected illnesses take place or accidents. I have felt very honored to be given this type of trust and look up to each of them for their problem-solving skills and demeanor when experiencing challenges mid-production.
Contact Info:
- Website: gmaldonado02.wixsite.com/gmmusic
- Instagram: instagram.com/gabsthefabssss
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/gabrielle-maldonado-
Image Credits
Enrique Diaz
