Drawing a breath, a young cellist exhales and an intense look of dedication crosses his face. Each video frame depicts varying speeds and playing intensity. Coalesced in an edited video, the clips show a self-composed symphony melding together to create a musical cover.
“(Cello) is a part of who I am,” said Arturo Ignacio González Jaimes, a chemical engineering freshman. “It’s what defines me as a person. It gives you a completely different outlook on life.”
UT shared a video of Jaimes playing “Texas Fight” on his cello across its official social media platforms on Aug. 30 in honor of the Texas vs. Ohio State game. The video features six frames of the cellist edited into one, each clip showing a different role in the song.
“He’s always had a knack for music,” said Gabriel Gonzales, Jaimes’ younger brother. “He’s consistent with his practice. He started posting three years ago and inspired me to create my own (account).”
Jaimes begins the recording process by looking at the score. He said most compositions are easily accessible online, but it can be difficult to discern the cello in the piece. After listening closely, Jaimes identifies which parts are most audible and important.
“It definitely takes quite a bit of time writing the music down,” Jaimes said. “It’s like a little puzzle to figure out. It takes creativity at times, but the most fun part is performing it and seeing it come together as one as I’m editing the videos and everything lines up perfectly. It’s really fun.”
The young musician — who has perfect pitch — picked up the cello in fifth grade after watching a Star Wars arrangement by The Piano Guys on YouTube. Three years later, he joined youth orchestras in downtown Houston.
Ella Wu, an architectural engineering freshman and former ensemble member alongside Jaimes, said he was a natural leader.
“I think everybody in our orchestra program that was a cellist looked up to him because he was so good at what he does,” Wu said. “He was a really good leader. He really listened to the section. He also gave feedback to the conductors and orchestra teachers, and they sought advice from him, too.”
After a successful audition for the UT Symphony Orchestra, Jaimes hopes to continue playing for the ensemble throughout his time at UT. Despite his degree not being music-related, he said he finds significant value in the lessons learned through practicing and performing.
“Being a musician gives you quite a bit of skills that are important for a lot of other areas in life,” Jaimes said. “There’s this constant sense of dedication. Even when you don’t want to practice, you still push yourself, because if you don’t practice, even for one day, you’re going to sound way worse; it’s not something you can easily skip. There’s this commitment that you get from being a musician.”
