Rick GabrilloTravel Consultant
RGabrillo@GuardianTravelGroup.com With over 25 years as a successful veteran choir director in Texas, Rick has been the conductor of public, private, and parochial choral programs throughout the greater Austin area. Rick’s love of touring began in his second year of teaching when the band, choir, and orchestra programs at his school took a combined trip with over 350 students in 7 tour buses to New Orleans. Things he will never forget include the energy of the road trips, the performances with excited students, restaurant conversations, fantastic swamp boat tours and coffee in the French Quarter, and students’ laughing and making new friends each day of the tour. Continuing his work with Grammy-winning Conspirare and the Conspirare Youth Choirs, Rick personally built their first tour to Washington D.C. He learned first-hand the intricacies of the many details that go into booking travel, accommodations, scheduling events and itineraries, and most-importantly, planning for tour participant communications and safety. The key lesson that now guides all his tour planning is that a well-crafted tour must have all the largest and smallest details in place and always confirmed. Students and directors can then be free to relax and enjoy a successful music tour: creating beautiful music in exciting venues, strengthening friendships, and opening eyes and hearts to new and exciting places in the world. With his professional singing as a member of Conspirare and his own directorship of the St. Louis Catholic Church Traditional Choir for 14 years, Rick gained a love of world travel, performing and directing in several countries throughout Europe (Portugal, Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Austria), Canada (Quebec), the U.K and Ireland, and Scandinavia. Some very special trips include attending three times the Grammys in Los Angeles. Something he will never forget is meeting people of all nationalities and communicating through music. He enjoys learning words and phrases in new languages to open doors and create connections. In fact, throughout the years, his travels inspired him to gain a basic conversational level of French with which he has put to good use with over 14 visits to various French cities over the past 20 years. Rick is thrilled to be joining the Guardian Music Team and is eager to use his decades of school and church tour organizational skills to help you and your group have the best trip possible! He will help your group gain wonderful memories and unforgettable moments that will last a lifetime. |