Artist of the Week: Dania Barillas

Warwick Valley High School senior Dania Barillas is a talented violinist whose dedication to her instrument and creative expression began in third grade and has never let up. She’s now in her ninth year as a performing musician here in Warwick Valley, while also developing her skills as a visual artist! She has received district, county, and state honors for her hard work and achievements, and remains focused on lifelong learning and growth.

Dania was excited to dive into the Warwick Valley music program at the first chance she got, which was in third grade, when students learn not only about the program, but about all the stringed, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments they can learn. Thinking back to that moment, Dania remembers the excitement of choosing a first instrument, and how a bit of serendipity played into putting her on the path she’s been on ever since.

“I really wanted to play oboe, but I couldn’t make a sound come out of it, so that’s why I chose the Violin instead,” Dania laughed.

A little bummed about the oboe, Dania was admittedly less passionate about the violin at first, but she had such a love for music that she remained determined to get good at it. She said, “I just started putting in the work to get to that point.”

Today, Dania is the first chair violinist in the high school’s Chamber Orchestra, directed by WVHS music teacher Elissa Maynard, who has enjoyed watching and nurturing Dania’s growth along the way. 

“I remember in the fifth grade, how each time we did chair placements, Dania’s chair kept moving up,” Ms. Maynard said. “The same has happened in high school. She’s come from the back of the first violins in our Symphony Orchestra, all the way up to first chair, which is the role of concertmaster, in our Chamber Orchestra. She is quite a force to be reckoned with!”

For all her growth and accomplishments throughout elementary and middle school, Dania said she really started to “take it seriously” when she began her freshman year and saw what the other high school musicians in the program were doing.

“I was in the Symphony Orchestra at first, and I remember seeing the Chamber Orchestra perform. That’s when I said to myself, ‘I want to be that good,’” Dania shared.

As focused and determined as ever, it only took Dania until her sophomore year to turn another aspiration into accomplishment and begin performing with the Chamber Orchestra herself.

“Besides being lucky enough to have Dania as our concertmaster here in Warwick, she has also been selected as an OCMEA All-County first violinist for multiple years and as principal second violinist in the OCMEA All-County ensemble during her sophomore year,” said a proud Ms. Maynard. “And this year, she was selected as an Area All-State first violinist!”

Even now, with everything she’s accomplished, Dania looks back at that initial oboe experience fondly as the launching pad for everything that’s come since.

“Being able to play the music and not have it sound bad, that’s where I first started to see my progress,” Dania said. “And seeing the physical progress of being able to move [my chair] closer to the front, especially in the orchestra and eventually becoming concertmaster, that’s always shown me that I was doing well.”

Dania is also an enthusiastic, active member of Ms. Maynard’s all-ages-welcome Wire Choir, a string ensemble that performs arrangements of popular music. While Dania focuses primarily on classical music, she said that the music of pop composers like Fiona Apple really resonates with her, which is what makes the Wire Choir so much fun.

The extracurricular volunteer ensemble lends its talents to all kinds of district and community events throughout the year, including the district’s CTEC Honors Ceremony, the WVHS Awards & Scholarship Ceremony, the annual Spring String Fling (which will celebrate its 27th year this June!), and the district’s notable veteran appreciation events, including the Park Avenue Veterans Day Celebration and the WVMS Veterans Breakfast in the spring. The ensemble also performs at community events like the Pollinator Music Festival, hosted annually by Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, which raises awareness about the disappearance of pollinators and supports both the Hudson Valley Pollinator Project and the WVHS Music Scholarship Fund.

Drawing is another one of Dania’s earliest hobbies. She enjoyed drawing people and scenes as a child, and her interest and skills have only grown, thanks to everything she’s learned in the many art classes she’s enjoyed throughout her entire Warwick Valley school career.

“I enjoy themes surrounding mythology, and reinterpreting what they mean,” Dania said about her inspiration and approach to her visual work. “I like visualizing [those themes] and making them into something else. I’d like to apply that same approach of reinterpretation to music, but right now I’m more focused on just playing the violin well.”

Dania is currently enrolled in Kristen Spano’s Portfolio & Art Careers Class, a rigorous course that guides students through the process of creating their own creative portfolio. The portfolio is an integral piece of the college application process for students looking at possible careers in the visual arts, and Dania plans to study illustration in college. She is applying to schools such as Pratt and the Fashion Institute of Technology, while also keeping her eyes open for any possibilities that present themselves.

“I’m definitely open to all that the future has to hold,” Dania said.