JAVIER GONZALEZ

ALUMNI

Javier Gonzalez

Class of 2002, 2004

Originally from San Fernando, California, Javier Gonzalez attended San Fernando Valley Academy until his family moved to New Mexico, where he went to public school for the rest of his secondary education. Initially, he had decided on going to Southwestern University due to its closeness to home and connections to his father, who worked as a pastor for the Southwestern Union. But his heart was always connected to music and ministry; starting singing at five years old, he was heavily involved with singing in churches growing up and felt it was something that God was calling him to do.

In his junior year of high school, he was prompted by his uncle to consider other options before making an official decision. With the help of a recruiter friend, they discovered that the top two schools for music and pastoral ministry programs were Andrews University and then Columbia Union College (CUC). “My uncle challenged me, saying, ‘Don’t just limit God to one thing,” Gonzalez said. So, they put it to prayer, and in his senior year of high school, he went to audition for the Music Department and ultimately decided that CUC was the place that he needed to be.

Gonzalez looks back on his time at CUC fondly, expressing that if he hadn’t decided to go, he would have missed out on what God had in store for him. Being deeply a part of the Music Department, in the Columbia Collegiate Chorale and the select choir, ProMusica, rehearsing every day of the week and going on tours and performing most weekends, he experienced some of the most fun and powerful moments. “Both Dr. Virginia Rittenhouse and Dr. James Bingham were very heavy on having the groups out there [performing],” Gonzalez said. “All the academic techniques that I was learning were so useful because I was using them in practicum when we were out there, but then we were doing it in the context of ministry. So, it wasn’t just performance for performance sake--we were out there witnessing.” have had the most impact on his academic and spiritual growth at CUC. As a performer, it can be challenging to separate yourself from the performance aspects, focusing on putting on a good show and receiving attention from your audience. However, the essential aspect of music performance is its ministry to others. Both Dr. Bingham and Dr. Virginia Rittenhouse, the founder and former director of the New England Youth Ensemble, were what Gonzalez called “a powerhouse team.” They both were solid characters in their own right, but brilliant musicians,” he said. “What made them so special was that the approach was always about service and how we can reach others through the power of music, music that is, obviously, written and performed for God’s glory.”

Having a double major, in 2002, Gonzalez graduated with a Bachelor’s in Pastoral Ministry, and, in 2004, he completed his degree cycle with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. Planning to remain in Maryland, Gonzalez continued to support the choir as an alumnus. He worked several gigs as a local musician but ultimately wanted to be a singer full-time. During his senior year, right before he graduated, he had decided to audition for the Washington National Opera, which was then directed by Plácido Domingo, who had been an idol for Gonzalez since he was a child. He was given a position right away and continued with the opera for about three to four years.

There was one opportunity where he got to audition for Domingo to join the Young Artists program. However, he was unable to get in. It was a devastating outcome for him, but in retrospect, Gonzalez called this one of his life’s pivot points. “During that time,” he began, “I was trying to do ministry and opera at the same time, and things began to come into conflict in my own life, personally and spiritually, where pillars of my faith were being questioned, doubted, shaken...at the end of it all, I couldn’t do both.” So, after being turned away from the Young Artists program, ministry became a more central focus for Gonzalez, and more opportunities made themselves available.