UTSA grad Antonio Zubillaga overcomes addiction and finds his voice | UTSA Today | UTSA

Life modified, although, when he achieved sobriety in 2017. He determined it was time to dedicate himself to his passions and aspirations by pursuing a level in music. 

“After I determined to get sober, I used to be going to come back again to UTSA. However my GPA was means too low, so I went to Alamo Faculties to select it up,” Zubillaga mentioned.

He started taking music programs and bettering his GPA at Northwest Vista School, the place he had his first college-level voice lesson. Regardless of his main restoration, he confronted an uphill battle to get his voice again into form for auditions and to fulfill the calls for of being a music main.

“It does really feel like I’m making an attempt to play catch-up, particularly once I go to competitions and see youngsters who’ve been in voice classes longer than I’ve,” Zubillaga mentioned.

However the assist of college members has stored him going.

The UTSA scholar says life drastically improved upon re-admittance to UTSA. He utterly reworked his voice beneath the tutelage of Crystal Jarrell Johnson, assistant professor of apply for voice within the UTSA School of Music.

“She’s been wonderful at pushing me to do higher but in addition very understanding since my scenario is a bit of bit totally different from everybody else’s,” Zubillaga remarked. “She’s been very emotionally clever.”

Underneath Johnson’s path, Zubillaga has delivered compelling performances at recitals, concert events and musical productions. Those that have seen him carry out say that he demonstrates poise, mature musicianship, and spectacular tonal qualities in his voice.

As a part of his efforts to pay it ahead, Zubillaga works with college students as an administrative assistant within the UTSA Honors School.

“It’s been an enormous inspiration working with college students who’ve carried out a lot once they’re so younger,” Zubillaga mentioned. “It’s helped me achieve a brand new appreciation for what the college does to present college students what they should succeed.”

Although balancing his research whereas sustaining a number of jobs, payments and household has been difficult, Zubillaga encountered a supportive environment amongst his friends that helped him succeed.

“It’s all the time been a really supportive tradition. There may be constructive criticism, however we all the time need to see one another succeed and it has allowed me to develop as an artist. That’s why I’m staying for my grasp’s,” mentioned Zubillaga, who will pursue his grasp’s in choral conducting.

“I need to be the very best musician that I might be, and I believe conducting is the following problem for me,” he mentioned.