4 minute read
A Conversation With ... Chelsea Gallo
Florida Orchestra (TFO) fans may have noticed a new face at the baton this season. With a jaw-dropping resume at only 33 years of age, new resident conductor Chelsea Gallo is a welcome addition to the Tampa Bay cultural scene.
In her first season with TFO, the California native is conducting a diverse array of concerts from classical Masterworks and chamber concerts to the popular Raymond James Pops concerts and upbeat themes like The Music of James Taylor, Neil Diamond and Paul Simon Starring Michael Cavanaugh and The Music of the Beatles.
In addition to conducting with TFO, Gallo performs as guest conductor for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and is a cover conductor with the New York Philharmonic.
Past positions include assistant conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic, conducting fellow with the Dallas Opera and conducting staff for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. As a guest conductor, Gallo has conducted the symphonies of North Carolina, Sarasota, Missouri, Bridgeport, Jackson, Lancaster, Youngstown, Toledo, and the Hartford Opera, among others. She holds a doctorate of musical arts from the University of Michigan where she was awarded the Helen Wu Graduate Fellowship in conducting.
We sat down with Gallo at Mahaffey Theater as she took a break during a recent concert practice.
Tell us about your early years, how you came to study music and conducting?
I started music lessons at age 4 — piano and violin — but I loved sports. I was a softball pitcher in high school and really thought I was going into sports, but tore my ACL so I had to pivot really quick. I applied and was accepted into undergrad with a music scholarship, but I never thought I would become a conductor. I loved playing violin and being in an orchestra. But I was encouraged by a conductor to study conducting in Vienna. I was so naïve, I knew nothing about conducting, but I worked hard and I got in.
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Devoted to expanding the reach of classical music, Gallo has collaborated with a variety of organizations, businesses and companies. Some of these entities include the Walt Disney Company, New York Yankees, NASA and the Lincoln Motor Company, among others.
With an affection for science and music, Gallo has collaborated on projects aimed toward uniting both worlds. She has worked with organizations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Lockheed Martin, the National Institute of Aerospace and the European Space Agency.
How did a recording of your music end up in space?
While I was working on my master’s degree in Vienna, I founded a group called Cosmos Chamber Orchestra and it was comprised of musicians from a lot of different countries. We got an invitation to perform at the 25th anniversary of the
Hubble telescope. It was a collaboration with NASA. We then got an invitation to perform at the United Nations. After that we recorded music that went on the Orion ETF-1 mission in 2014.
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Gallo resides in St. Petersburg, but her guest conducting gigs and commuter marriage keep her constantly on the go. (She wed conductor and University of Wisconsin School of Music music director Oriol Sans last year.) Still, she has come to embrace her new hometown, her colleagues and local audiences.
What do you like about living and working in St. Pete?
I feel extremely lucky, it’s an absolute gift. There is a real sense of community with these musicians and I feel we can grow together. Our music director (Michael Francis) is just exceptional at nurturing that growth. I truly think he is one of the greatest conductors in the country and we are lucky to have him.
Do you think Tampa Bay is supportive of the orchestra?
Our orchestra has an exceptional level of attendance and popularity. I go to other top-tier orchestras around the country and most are only selling maybe 45 percent of the house. Here every time I look out, I see what looks like 75 percent. And the audience is so diverse, all ages, I really like that because we have something for everyone.
Find a schedule of Florida Orchestra upcoming concerts at floridaorchestra.org.
