From Venezuela To Round Top

Festival Hill Features: Andres Avila

Cellist Andres Avila grew up surrounded by music. His father studied musicology and played a traditional Venezuelan instrument named the cuatro, and his brother was a double bass player who moved to the United States to continue his music studies.

Avila began his studies at Conservatorio de Música Jose Luis Paz in Maracaibo after encouragement from his father. At age 8, he was already learning about music theory and solfege, as well as studying the cello.

“We had a good time before he (Avila’s brother) left Venezuela for the U.S. I remember playing sometimes with him and I would be practicing here in the room, he would be practicing there,” said Avila. “My parents would be annoyed sometimes, but, you know, they handled it well and it was very fun.”

Not long after Avila’s brother moved, he and the rest of his family made the move as well. Avila continued his music studies at New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL once the family settled down. By the end of his studies there in 2021, he had been awarded a Presidential Scholarship by Berklee to continue studying at their Boston Conservatory.

Avila is about halfway through his education at Berklee, with Rhonda Rider as his professor. He decided to attend Festival Hill at Round Top during his summer break before returning to the conservatory. So far, he’s enjoyed his time at the festival, with its beautiful campus, delicious food and friendly staff.

“At first, I was thinking it was going to be very competitive because this is actually my second time applying. When I got accepted, I was like, ‘Wow, I finally did it,’” said Avila. “But in reality, everyone here is very nice, very respectful and we all want to support each other. And there really shouldn’t be any kind of competition because we’re all working together for one thing.”

This isn’t the only festival that Avila has had the opportunity to attend within the past few years. Last summer, according to the musician, was “the busiest summer of [his] musical career” so far, with three music festivals across the U.S. lined up throughout the season. Those festivals include the Cello Seminar atApple Hill, NH, the Bar Harbor Music Festival in Maine and the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Vermont.

And Avila is looking forward to what else that music has in store for him. His education has already set him up for an ideal future, and each experience has allowed him to break out of his shell and grow.

“I asked myself [if I could see myself doing anything else] before applying for college, and I’ll be honest with you, I tried really hard to see where else I could be. And I couldn’t see anything,” said Avila. “Music, it’s just where I’ve always been. It’ll never get boring.”