One student’s symphony: Enrique Poveda

BY ELENA VALDEZ

Not many students can say they’ve composed a symphony by age 16. That, however, is not the case for junior Enrique Poveda. Throughout his life, he has dedicated himself to music and plans to perform, for the first time in his life, his fourth symphony this December.

Poveda’s affinity with music began in elementary school after he witnessed his school’s chorus perform. On that day in third grade, he decided music was something he wanted to pursue. Not knowing why he was inclined toward the art, he began to take the steps necessary to pursue it.

“I remember seeing people in the school play and thinking that would be interesting to do,” Poveda said. “So that’s what got me into chorus, which got me into music.”

“[Music] is not something I can find a reason for,” Poveda said. “It’s just always been there.”

Despite what some may assume, there was no pressure from Poveda’s family to pursue music. Poveda was inclined to indulge himself in the activity and his family allowed him to do so. They have encouraged him to follow his heart. However, Poveda’s family views music as a hobby– a commonality among many parents. But Poveda is dead set on making a career of his music.

“I want to make something I’m proud of,” Poveda said.

Having participated in Florida’s All-State Chorus and Broward County’s All-County Chorus, Enrique is involved in music with every chance he gets. He plays a plethora of instruments, from the classic piano to the simple triangle. His musical endeavors have extended outside of school and earned him a spot in the Florida Youth Orchestra: a national, non-profit organization for young, aspiring musicians at a professional level.

“His writing style definitely matches his personality,” chorus adviser Anna Lotocky said. “When you listen to what he has composed, you get a glimpse of his soul. Enrique likes to include the unexpected at times in his writing.”

It is not all high notes and melodies, however. There are often flat notes in his life. By being so involved in music, it has proven to be easy for Poveda to fall behind in school. Like a scale that is never balanced, he either works wholeheartedly on his music or wholeheartedly on his schoolwork. He describes the balancing act as sporadic.

The scale recently has been tilted more so towards music. Poveda has finally finished his fourth symphony after more than a year of hard work and dedication.

The hard work of the past year has paid off– his fourth symphony, “Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major ‘Tempest,’” is scheduled to be performed by the Florida Youth Orchestra in early December.

“The actual symphony took me about a year and a half to finish. It was the only thing I was working on,” Poveda said. “I wrote it at a very low point. I used it to simultaneously vent my current feelings and also try [to] create a projection of the future I could have if I got better.”

Music, for Poveda, is a way to feel something.

“A lot of my music was derived as a form of venting,” Poveda said. “In the past year, I’ve had an onset of numbness and music has become a way for me to remember the emotions I had to vent out before.”

Making music and expressing himself has led him into a community of musicians in his same shoes. Poveda posts his work on SoundCloud, where he receives feedback from other musicians and his peers. The appraisal of his work and validation from others is nice at first but, as Poveda explains, in the end it is his own approval that matters the most.

“It [other musicians commenting] was the first time I realized I could do this for a living,” Poveda said. “But it’s all on me in the end.”

The hard work of the past year has paid off– his fourth symphony, “Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major ‘Tempest,’” is scheduled to be performed by the Florida Youth Orchestra in early December. His symphony is composed of four movements entitled, “Passo Veloce con Furia e Trionfo”, “Allegro Scherzando,” “Romance” and “Gran Riassunto.” Poveda himself will be performing in the showing, rather than conducting.

“[Music] is not something I can find a reason for,” Poveda said. “It’s just always been there.”

Photo by Carly Cuoco