As part of its ongoing Artist of the Week feature, Warwick Valley High School recently highlighted senior Dania Barillas.
Barillas is a talented violinist who began playing in third grade and has never let up. She’s now in her ninth year as a performing musician here in Warwick Valley, while also developing her skills as a visual artist. She has received district, county, and state honors for her work and achievements, and remains focused on lifelong learning and growth.
Barillas was excited to dive into the Warwick Valley music program at the first chance she got, which was in third grade, when students learn about the stringed, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Thinking back to that moment, Barillas remembers the excitement of choosing a first instrument, and how a bit of serendipity played into putting her on the path she’s been on ever since.
“I really wanted to play oboe, but I couldn’t make a sound come out of it, so that’s why I chose the violin instead,” Barillas laughed.
A little bummed about the oboe, Barillas was admittedly less passionate about the violin at first, but she had such a love for music that she remained determined to get good at it. She said, “I just started putting in the work to get to that point.”
Today, Barillas is the first chair violinist in the high school’s Chamber Orchestra, directed by WVHS music teacher Elissa Maynard, who has enjoyed watching and nurturing Dania’s growth along the way.
“I remember in the fifth grade, how each time we did chair placements, Dania’s chair kept moving up,” Maynard said. “The same has happened in high school. She’s come from the back of the first violins in our Symphony Orchestra, all the way up to first chair, which is the role of concertmaster, in our Chamber Orchestra. She is quite a force to be reckoned with!”
For all her growth and accomplishments throughout elementary and middle school, Barillas said she started to “take it seriously” when she began her freshman year and saw what the other high school musicians in the program were doing.
“I was in the Symphony Orchestra at first, and I remember seeing the Chamber Orchestra perform. That’s when I said to myself, ‘I want to be that good,’” Barillas shared.
“Besides being lucky enough to have Dania as our concertmaster here in Warwick, she has also been selected as an OCMEA All-County first violinist for multiple years and as principal second violinist in the OCMEA All-County ensemble during her sophomore year,” said a proud Maynard. “And this year, she was selected as an Area All-State first violinist!”
Barillas is also a member of Maynard’s all-ages-welcome Wire Choir, a string ensemble that performs arrangements of popular music. While Barillas focuses primarily on classical music, she said that the music of pop composers like Fiona Apple really resonates with her, which is what makes the Wire Choir so much fun.
Drawing is another one of Barillas’s earliest hobbies. She enjoyed drawing people and scenes as a child, and her interest and skills have only grown.
“I enjoy themes surrounding mythology, and reinterpreting what they mean,” Barillas said about her inspiration and approach to her visual work. “I like visualizing [those themes] and making them into something else. I’d like to apply that same approach of reinterpretation to music, but right now I’m more focused on just playing the violin well.”
Barillas is currently enrolled in Kristen Spano’s Portfolio & Art Careers Class, a rigorous course that guides students through the process of creating their own creative portfolio. The portfolio is an integral piece of the college application process for students looking at possible careers in the visual arts, and Barillas plans to study illustration in college. She is applying to schools such as Pratt and the Fashion Institute of Technology, while also keeping her eyes open for any possibilities that present themselves.
“I’m definitely open to all that the future has to hold,” Barillas said.
