Honoring the Artist: Rafaela Gurtler

While Rafaela Gurtler can claim an unusual distinction by being the first cover artist who is a high school student, she is well on her way to becoming a bone fide artist in her own right. When she showed Eric Reynolds, her music teacher at Pierson High School, one of her paintings for the school's Winter Concert, he insisted she submit it for cover consideration.

Yet Gurtler is not only a budding artist; she is also committed to jazz performance. In fact, we may say that she is a multi-talented young woman who is well on her way to success.

Q: Where did you get the idea for the cover?

A: I wanted to paint something local and in the winter. The Sag Harbor Movie Theatre is a place from our town that everyone recognizes.

Q: Even though you love art, you are going to major in jazz performance, which is really unusual for a major, and I would think unusual for a woman, too. How did you become interested in it?

A: I remember in the eighth grade I wrote a school report about jazz performers like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. I got a chance to listen to their music, and I was hooked.

Q: Is there anyone in your family with a music and art background?

A: My father is a graphic artist, and my mom has a very good voice.

Q: How about where you may be going to college for jazz? Isn't that a fairly new field of study?

A: Yes, it is. If you majored in jazz, you usually had to study classical music first. I am thinking of going to William Patterson College in New Jersey or City College in New York. They both have good music programs.

Q: Don't you want to be in New York, where you can hear jazz in clubs and restaurants?

A: Yes, but you can see Manhattan from William Patterson in New Jersey. It's really close.

Q: Is there a musician in Sag Harbor whom you particularly admire?

A: Yes. Hal McKusick. I've been to several of his shows in churches here, and he's so inspiring. He's also a good teacher. He teaches at the Ross School. I've had lots of good teachers, too.

Q: Have you ever considered being in the musical theatre after you graduate in jazz performance?

A: It's really tough in the theatre. You have to perform the same way every night. Jazz can change every day. So can art. It would be fun to audition for a Broadway play, however.

Q: How does playing the flute in Pierson's band help you with your singing?

A: It helps your lungs get stronger. I am also on the cross- country team. That helps me with my breathing.

Q: And how does art help you with music? How are they similar for you?

A: They both give me discipline. And I really enjoy doing art and music. You have to enjoy it. In music, for example, you can't just play notes. You have to have emotion. Art is also emotional. Jazz brings so much to people. It's alive; it can make you cry.

Q: I'm just curious. What's your favorite musical play?

A: West Side Story.

Q: Mine, too. I never ran into someone who liked it as much as me.

A : Now you have.

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