Arturo Gonzalez
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Arturo Gonzalez, age 17, played violin for one year in the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of El Sistema in Caracas, Venezuela. He later began playing cello at age 11, and has been teaching himself piano since he was 14. Arturo is currently a Junior at The Woodlands College Park High School in the Woodlands, Texas, under the direction of Emanuel Coraza and Mary Kate Hom. He has also been studying cello privately with Wendy Smith Butler since 2021. Arturo has had the honor to perform as principal cellist for the HYS Symphony Orchestra, the Woodlands Symphony, and the Luzerne Music Center in Lake Luzerne, New York. This is his fourth season with the Virtuosi of Houston, where he is also principal cellist. Last year, Arturo earned 9th chair in the TMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra, thus having the privilege of performing with Texas’ most talented musicians. He has also achieved top positions in the TMEA Region IX Middle and High School Symphony Orchestras, CISD Honor Orchestra Middle and High School Orchestras, and earned top ratings in UIL Solo and Ensemble. Other than music, Arturo enjoys working out and learning foreign languages.