Ethan S. Olaguibel, a Palmetto Bay resident and a sophomore at Coral Reef High School where he is a double bassist, will be performing in the All-National Honors Ensemble in Nashville, TN, on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Remarkably, musical accomplishments are becoming a family tradition. In October 2011 his older brother, Santiago J. Olaguibel, also a double bassist, was selected to play for the National Honors Orchestra — two brothers representing the state of Florida and their community.
The performance, organized by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), will take place at the Grand Ole Opry complex, as part of the Symphony Orchestra roster.
“I am very excited to have been selected to participate in the 2015 NAfME All-National Honors Ensemble,” Ethan said. “I look forward to playing with the top-ranked high school musicians in the nation. I have never been to Nashville and performing at the Grand Ole Opry is going to be an experience I will never forget.”
Ethan, 15, was born in Queens, NY. He moved to Miami with his family in 2006 and started playing a one-fourth size bass when he was 8 years old. He attended Howard Drive Elementary and Arvida Middle School before going to Coral Reef High School, where he is in the Visual and Performing Arts Academy under the orchestral direction of Dr. Lee Stone. He also studies privately under Dr. Brian Powell, Professor of Double Bass and String Music Education at the University of Miami.
“I was recommended to audition by the former president of the FMEA (Florida Music Educators Association), Mrs. Sheila King,” Ethan said. “We met during All- State in Tampa and she felt that I would be a good candidate for the Symphony Orchestra.
“In order to audition, I had to submit a video recording of me playing excerpts of Storch-Hrabû and Tchaikovsky. Preparing for the recording was rigorous with countless hours of practice but I knew all my efforts would pay off in the end,” he added. “I am looking forward to the experiences ahead. The entire process has made me a better musician.” Ethan’s mother understandably is pleased with her younger son’s accomplishment. “We are very proud of Ethan,” said Maryann Velez-Olaguibel. “He works very hard at his music and we are happy that he can appreciate the results of his efforts.
We are also proud that he is our second child participating in a national orchestra. We are firm believers that music is essential in everyone’s life. It definitely has been a great part of ours.”
Ethan said that his goal in music is to become a Broadway musician playing in the orchestra pits of the best theaters in NYC. He also would like to be a film score musician.
“The film scores of Thomas Newman and Alan Silvestri are my inspiration,” Ethan said. “I am very thankful for all of the support from my parents, and especially my older brother Santiago J. Olaguibel, who is an accomplished bassist.”
For more information visit www.nafme.org/programs/all-nationalhonor-ensembles/.
