Today we’d like to introduce you to Pascal Garoute.
Pascal, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My parents, Tony and Michele Garoute, have been avid singer-songwriter / musicians even before I was born (2 August 1991), and my entire family consists of different kinds of artists that span over many different mediums. Ergo, I was exposed to art as soon as I entered this world. I thankfully grew to be enamored by it all — music, acting for screen and stage, writing, photography — the list goes on. The first musical thing I did was take piano lessons, which I started when I was seven years old, and then I started playing violin when I was 9. Being in a household of forever-playing music and constant musical creation, I was inspired by my parents to write my first song in junior high. From that point on, I starting penning more lyrical songs, producing electronic instrumental tracks, and composing piano pieces. In high school I was in band, playing in the front ensemble (playing instruments including vibraphone, marimba, and auxiliary percussion). Near the end of my time earning a Bachelor’s degree in Radio/Television Communication at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma was when my interest in theatre spiked. Once I acted in a production of Man of La Mancha at Lawton Community Theatre, I was hooked. After that, I was the stage manager for many productions at the theater and my old high school (MacArthur High) — all being in Oklahoma.
I ended up moving to Boston last summer with a goal of finding artistic opportunities and endeavors — as well as aiming to get admitted to Berklee College of Music. Shortly after I relocated up north, I was grateful to land a stage manager position at the Furnace Fringe Festival, a beautifully orchestrated non-profit endeavor founded by some dear friends of mine. Later that year, I got the exciting news that I was admitted to Berklee’s class of 2022 and will be starting in the fall of 2018. Since then, and up until right now, I’ve been working on the many endeavors and projects I always have going on: working on my own music, writing a collection of short mythical tales, writing a novel, penning a musical, acting in different productions (commercial and film), photography, helping run a summer music camp called Next Generation Performing Arts Camp for middle school through high school kids, and gearing up to start my first semester at Berklee.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has absolutely not been smooth. There was one point (many years back now) when my mom, Michele, and my brother, Claude, got into a small car accident. It didn’t seem as if it was a huge thing when it happened, as someone rammed into the back of our van at about 35 miles per hour when we were stopped at a stoplight (the woman had dropped her glasses, bent down to pick them up, and consequently ran into us). Thank goodness we were all okay, but little did we know that this little instance would create such a monumental impact in all of my family’s lives. Mom, Claude, and I all suffered a little back pain, but we were alright and walking. Mom, however, would come to have more underlying consequences due to the accident. Once some time had passed after that, there were periods where Mom’s back would completely freeze up, so she would be completely paralyzed for moments at a time and would have bouts of extreme pain. Fast forward a decent chunk of time and Mom was due for a lumbar fusion surgery to try and fix her back. Right before she was scheduled for surgery, I was actually scheduled to start my time in the Air Force (at the end of college, I considered to go in and was all set to), but seeing my mom in constant pain and knowing what was going to come with the surgery that was coming, I decided to not go so I could take care of her and the family. I don’t think I was meant to go into the Air Force though, so it’s wild how that ended up working out. I’m glad I stayed, because the time after Mom’s surgery was a tough one for the entire family. Even when she was in recovery after the surgery, she was still in so much pain, and there were times that I just broke down and cried because I couldn’t do anything to help alleviate her pain. The family ended up getting through it though by really bonding together!
There was also a period of time where I stayed away from creating music and writing for a while. It was awful. I slowly began to feel less… me. I was losing who I was as a person. After experiencing that, I never want to stray away from doing the things that makes me ever again. I am who I am because of the art that lives inside of me, and I would be doing an injustice to myself if I slide that part of me under the rug.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Pascal Garoute – what should we know?
I am a musician, composer, actor, writer, photographer, and stage manager. I would probably consider music as a forte of mine, as I have been around it and have been doing it for most of my life. I am in love with the concept of all forms of creation though. I think it’s mind-boggling how we as artists can take something that exists in the depths of our mind and turn that into something tangible in the physical realm in which we exist.
One thing about me is that I absolutely LOVE collaboration. There are so many magnificent minds that exist in the world, and with magnificent minds comes magnificent art. By working with other artists, whether it’s something as simple as helping writing a lyric or something as complex as co-producing and putting on a musical, art can explode to life with the hearts, minds, and souls of other artists touching it in conjunction with the creator.
Also, I am very humbled to say that many people have told me that I am one of the most positive people they’ve ever met. This truly means the world to me. I know that life isn’t always easy, it isn’t always golden, and it isn’t always perfect — but I believe we can all make it a whole lot better by having a positive outlook on life. Although the world can be a dark place, we as human beings can serve as lighthouses that paves a path to happiness for ourselves and others. I do my best to live my life in this fashion, even if it’s something as tiny as throwing a smile someone’s way or trying to make someone laugh.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe that simply being a good person is the most important quality for me. This encompasses being positive, caring for others, making others happy, and trying to help others succeed. Nobody can reach any sort of “success”, no matter how you in particular view the meaning of that notion, without other people — other people helping you with your art, other people supporting you with your art, other people consuming your art, other people collaborating with you on your art, and ultimately, other people being impacted by your art.
Contact Info:
- Website: pascalgaroute.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/pascalgaroute
- Facebook: facebook.com/pascalgaroute
- Twitter: twitter.com/pascalgaroute
Image Credit:
Maya Lopez
Claude Garoute
Marlyn Marcos
Norman Lang
Gabe de Varona
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