Since I’ve started teaching at GSBTB, the organization has expanded to another location so classes and programming occur at two different buildings in the neighborhood of Neukölln. Piano class moved to the new building, and over the past few weeks, it’s been so exciting to see the space change and to acclimate to a new environment. Small details like plants and colorful curtains make the space more comfortable, fitting with GSBTB’s overall warm and welcoming vibe. Figuring out logistics and more practical tasks (for example, sending out reminders so students know to come to the new building rather than the old one, setting up more lamps because the room doesn’t get much natural light, rearranging the setup of keyboards and tables) reminded me that so much work goes on behind the scenes, long before anyone starts to play any music.
Hello! I’m Gabrielle, a student at Barnard College in New York City. I’m studying Comparative Literature (English and German) and Music (Ethnomusicology), and I’m also a classical violist and pianist. I’m passionate about the historic overlap between literature and music, particularly 19th- and 20th-century program music, ballets, and operas. For my first Laidlaw summer, my interest in adaptation theory drove me to explore how Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet narrative moved across genres and mediums, with a specific focus on works by Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Prokofiev, and Gounod. My interest in the transmission of cultural and musical knowledge led me to Berlin, Germany for my second Laidlaw summer, where I also spent my exchange year. I worked as a piano teacher at an organization that supports and empowers migrants and refugees in Berlin. I’m also interested in literary translation, archival practices, and engaged pedagogy, and I hope to continue exploring archives, libraries, and museums as sites of cultural memory.
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