American Viola Society

What’s your name?

Andrew Joseph Gonzalez.

Where are you from?

I born in Jacksonville Florida but raised in Chesapeake Virginia.

How did you come to the viola?

I started viola in my Fifth Grade string orchestra. I didn’t want to play cello because I knew that it was too big to fit on a school bus everyday and I didn’t want to play Violin because I older brother played violin before me and he seemed to hate so for some reason I thought I wouldn’t like it either.

Are you a Juilliard student?  Were you?  Or do you now work as part of the studio?

I am a 3rd year at the Juilliard school.

Tell us about one of your favorite performances?

One of my favorite performances was playing Brahms 4 with Seymon Bychkov conducting.

If you could perform any viola piece, what would it be?

I would love to play Schumann Adagio and Allegro; Probably one of my favorite chamber pieces ever written.

If you could play any non-viola piece, what would it be?

I would love to play Beethoven Violin concerto.

Who made your viola and how did you get to be the one playing it?

My Viola was made in 1930 by Frederick Haenel. It’s Modeled after a Gasparo da Salo.