Victoria Gabrielsen (she/her) has been playing violin since she was 10 years old. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Victoria’s love of music and performing started when she was 3 years old, when her grandmother took her to see her first musical. Victoria grew up in New Berlin, Wisconsin, where she had the most passionate and loving orchestra teachers. She is beyond grateful for the wisdom and teachings of her elementary orchestra teacher, Elizabeth Deussen, and her high school teachers, Kay Black and Patricia Anders, as their combined pedagogies inspired Victoria to pursue a career in teaching music. They also guided her in high school when she first started teaching violin and viola lessons to fellow students and members of the community. 

Victoria’s music education studies began in 2011 at Northern Michigan University, where she was a recipient of the Harden Scholarship, a four-year full scholarship. Victoria studied strings technique and conducting under Dr. Barbara Rhyneer, and she taught with various beginner strings programs and youth orchestras in the Marquette area. She received her Bachelors in Music Education in 2015, with honors from both the Music and Education Departments at NMU. 

In late 2016, the very same day that the Cubs won the World Series, Victoria officially moved to Chicago, which had been a dream of hers since she was a child. Since then, Victoria has taught with many after-school and in-school orchestral and general music programs throughout the city. She was also on the Teaching/Curriculum Team for the Human Values Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting humanity through radical education, teacher training, and community mentorship. Currently, Victoria serves on the Board of Directors for the Heritage Chorale in Oak Park and plays first violin with the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest. She lives with her fiancée, Ana, and their orange cat named Mabel. Victoria’s hobbies include reading, hiking, learning mandolin and trombone, playing video games, and attending as many live concerts as possible.