Gabby Vivona

Biography

A Southern California native, Gabby is a graduate of California Baptist University with a Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance. In addition to playing clarinet, she also plays bass clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, and piccolo. Gabby aspires to play professionally in orchestras for the stage, screen, and pit. She held principal positions in the CBU Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and the nationally recognized University Choir and Orchestra. Locally, she is a performing member of Gold Wind Symphony. Through her participation in ensembles at CBU, Gabby has participated in recording sessions for both Tommy Walker and Semsen Music and has traveled with the CBU basketball teams to Las Vegas as a member of the pep band for the Western Athletic Conference four times. Gabby served as Personnel Fellow with the National Repertory Orchestra for three months in Breckenridge, Colorado last summer. She is moving to Lynchburg, Virginia this summer to attend the 2025 MasterWorks festival and start her Master of Music Performance at Liberty University under Dr. Cassandra Hibbard. She was awarded a full graduate assistantship and plans to use the time to take orchestral auditions.

She loves musical theatre, having performed Sweet Charity, Little Women, Sunday in the Park with George, Hello, Dolly!, Sideshow, and Seussical: The Musical. She has also performed in CBU’s inaugural production of Donizetti’s Elixir of Love and as principal clarinetist of Gounod’s Romeo and Juliette and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury. In 2023, she was an orchestra member hand-selected by Dr. Glenn Pickett to perform in the world premiere of his newest work for the stage Dietrich and Maria, in which she played three instruments for five sold-out shows at the historic Wallace Theater. Previous teachers include John Reilly and David Chang.

Gabby’s accolades include winning the Four Seasons Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition in 2020. She was a member of the orchestra for 4 years and performed many concerts with them as principal clarinet. Gabby has also played with the La Sierra Symphony Orchestra, Redlands Chamber Orchestra, Southern California Youth Symphony Orchestra, Dana Point Symphony Orchestra, and Santa Monica Youth Orchestra.