Returning to Pearson is a special feeling for many.
Gabo is all smiles when it comes to talking music
When Gabriel “Gabo” Ferreras (YR 39/2014, Argentina) returned this summer for his 10-year reunion to reconnect with dozens of peers, he noticed something was missing.
“I learned that nobody is doing Choir here,” he said. “I was a part of that in my early Pearson days. I thought to myself, what a great opportunity to come and do what I’ve always said I wanted to do as a student.”
Leading the school in a sing-a-long during Village Gathering
Within a few days, Gabo quickly contacted the Head of College, Jason McBride, who reached out to Deputy Head, Arno Dirks, and immediately Ferreras was offered the position of Choir conductor.
“The position was waiting for me,” laughs Ferreras. “And I took it.”
Hailing from Mendoza, a city of over 1.2 million people, Gabo came to Pearson heavily focused on academics. He took physics, mathematics, and chemistry classes to help him pursue an engineering degree, but the music bug would bite him in between studies.
“I was part of the choir and the ukulele ensemble, and the popular One World. I helped run the musical cafes and everything related to music, and I was always there.” Ferreras poses rhetorically. “It was partly because my English wasn’t good, and my way to connect with other people was through music.”
It proved to be his anchor once more when, toward the end of his final semester, Gabo found himself struggling with the direction for his post-secondary future.
A high-school-aged Gabo in his Pearson era
“My first year Natalia from Uruguay told me, ‘Why don’t you study music if it’s the thing you do most of the time instead of engineering?'” Ferreras said. “I was like, oh, I didn’t consider that, so I applied to schools to study music and went to Bennington College to build a solid foundation to become a conductor, which is my professional goal.”
Back at Pearson, Gabo is honing his craft. His students impressed an experienced crowd by singing the song “Ezulwini” at the Uvic High School Invitational Choral Festival. Next up is a collaboration with the musical theatre, poetry, and dance ensembles for Pearson’s yearly Christmas Show at the Max Bell Theatre.
“We have a small group that is constant; being together strengthens us, and music is an excellent example of this,” said Ferreras. “We sounded good because we were next to each other singing. Collectively, we are a whole different instrument.”
Ferreras leading Pearson Choir during a performance at the Uvic High School Invitational Choral Festival
“Singing in a choir is being in the state of flow, being in the zone, and the greater the number of people being in that zone, the greater the zone is.”
Aspiring engineer turned aspiring conductor Gabo, knowingly or not, is becoming both. Building a choir program and infusing students with a passion for music, the maestro is doing his thing.
Did you know? Gabo not only volunteers his time to the choir but also assists faculty in the classroom with their students, he joins extracurricular activities and acts as adult on call and chaperone in outdoor expeditions on the weekends. He also helps improves the look of our campus, whether it be chopping firewood or helping the maintenance team restore around campus.
If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering at Pearson, please visit our Volunteer page to fill out an application. Thank you!