Gabrielle Peck is an eleventh grader currently attending the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. Gabby began studying cello at the age of eight with Rosa Borisova and currently studies with Ravenna Helson. In addition to the cello, she studies piano and Bayan accordion with world-renowned accordionist Stas Venglevski. This is her 8th year in MYSO and she is proud to sit as one of the principal cellists in Senior Symphony this year.

Gabrielle’s interest in composition began when she was four years old, where she was inspired by an Egyptian exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum and wrote her first piece, The Pretty Song. Since then she has composed, arranged, and premiered many more pieces, including The Mischievous Geese, premiered by MYSO’s Philharmonia orchestra in 2022, Main Street Swing, premiered by MYSO’s Chamber Flute Ensemble in 2023, and Windblown, premiered by the Houston Accordion Orchestra in January 2024. Windblown will be given a second performance in Japan this June.

Gabby is thrilled to have been selected to compose for Senior Symphony this year, and hopes you enjoy hearing her piece as much as she enjoyed writing it. She would like to thank her composition mentor, the late Rick Walters, and Senior Symphony music director Carter Simmons for helping her write the piece of her dreams.

Dance of the Phoenix tells the story about a dancer girl and her encounter with a mighty and powerful phoenix. The beginning of the piece is the beginning of her first dance, which starts out calm before the tempo picks up into the main theme. After the first dance, the phoenix arrives, and the music slows down and falls quiet while the low growling notes of the contrabassoon and the lone violin solo are symbolic of the gravely ancient beast and the frail dancer girl. After they exchange words, the music picks up once more but changes key to reflect the second dance, which is more panicked and frantic. The piece finally ends with the phoenix and the dancer saying their goodbyes as night falls.