By Becky St. Clair

Ronnie Zanella was born in São Paulo, Brazil, into a family of musicians; his mother a piano teacher and composer, his father a violinist, his uncle a conductor and singer. 

“My mom put classical music on her belly while she was pregnant with both me and my older brother,” Zanella shares. “I remember from my very early years my uncle playing music games with us, training our ears even as children.”

Music was a central part of their lives growing up; Zanella even remembers as a young child playing on the floor next to the piano while his mother taught piano lessons to other students. Once he and his brother began taking lessons, they were expected to practice daily after school before doing anything else—including homework.

Zanella remembers when his brother began piano lessons; at the time, Zanella was five years old, and he begged his mother to let him take lessons, too. She finally relented, taking on the role of his music instructor herself.

“It did not work out,” Zanella admits with a laugh. “I was too young, and I cried a lot during our lessons.” After a year of struggling together, his mother enrolled him in the local Adventist conservatory with a different teacher. Zanella began to flourish on piano. He played for the first time at church when he was eight years old, accompanying the congregational hymns. 

At age 10 he began studying violin, and two years later he joined a school orchestra. “My feet didn’t even reach the floor,” he remembers. At 13, he asked his mom if he could be a professional musician. 

“I remember her being surprised,” he says. “First she joked, ‘Oh no, another in the family?’ and then she told me that if music was what I truly loved, I should absolutely be a musician.”

And so when he started college, it was never a question that Zanella was going to study music. 

To improve his English, Zanella came to the U.S. to study at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, for one year. The plan was to return to his music studies in Brazil when the year was over. Everything changed when the piano professor at Union heard him practicing the piano.

“She walked right in and said, ‘Who are you, and why are you not a student here?’” Zanella recalls. When he explained that he simply couldn’t afford more than one year of study in the U.S., she asked him what would be possible for his family. “I gave her a number and two weeks later she had scholarships for me to cover the rest.”

Zanella completed his music degree with an emphasis in piano performance at Union College. That was 11 years ago.

His experience at Union College impacted his life more than just musically; Zanella says his orchestra director and professor, Kurt Miyashiro, remains one of his biggest role models.

“He didn’t just push me to keep going with my music,” Zanella says; “he also pushed me academically, professionally, and spiritually. He’s a very devout Christian, and I am very thankful for his leadership.”

In the same way his professors influenced him, Zanella strives to impact students now that he himself is in the teaching role.

“I want to be a light through my actions, showing that God is a part of my life,” he says. “Adventism feels like home to me, and I love working as part of the church. Knowing my Sabbaths are sacred means a lot to me.”

Having grown up in an area with many Adventists and an Adventist University (Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo—UNASP—is located in his hometown), Zanella feels very comfortable at PUC, where both community and education are highly valued. Both are very important to him personally, as well.

“I love the fellowship of ensembles,” he comments. “That’s one of the reasons I switched from piano to conducting, because I couldn’t see myself one-on-one in a studio for the rest of my life. I want to work with more people.”

Though this revelation came as a surprise to Zanella, an introvert, he acknowledges that the community aspect of music-making is his favorite. Despite this, being involved in choir—where putting oneself fully out there in front of others is key—is Zanella’s happy place.

“It used to baffle me that I loved it so much,” he admits. “As singers, we’re very vulnerable, but I think what draws me to collaborative singing is that sharing that vulnerability across a room creates intense bonds, and I love that about music.”

Being so entrenched in music for so much of one’s life, however, can pose challenges. Zanella admits that burnout as a musician is a very real problem.

“You’ve loved it since childhood, and you know it’s supposed to be fun, but sometimes it becomes a burden,” he explains. “When these moments hit me, I have to remind myself of what is fun about it, so I’ll sit down and practice the piano, or find a choir to sing in, rather than just being the conductor.”

What also helps is distancing himself from classical music from time to time. His Spotify playlists are as varied as there are genres of music; Zanella enjoys everything from jazz and blues to gospel and contemporary Christian to popular tunes from the late 20th century. 

“I was raised on Christian and classical music, but as an adult I’ve come to appreciate the fact that there’s always something good in stepping outside of what you’re used to,” he says. “You always learn when you’re exposed to something new.”

Despite the possibility of burnout and being exposed to music of all kinds on a regular basis, Zanella says the power of music still impacts him. One such defining moment came during his master’s degree recital at Andrews University, which was titled “The Dark Night of the Soul.”

“It tied together Jesus’ suffering and experiencing his own dark night at Gethsemane, and the dark nights we all experience in our own lives,” Zanella explains. As part of his recital, he conducted University Singers performing “Please Stay” by Jake Runestad, a song about suicide prevention.

“The piece was in the middle of the program, and by the end of the song, half the choir was crying, and I was crying, and people in the audience were sobbing,” Zanella recalls. After members of the choir came forward and said lines to close the piece, there was silence in the room for 15 seconds before they received a standing ovation over a minute and a half long. 

“At the end of the program, everything became light, symbolizing coming back from the darkness,” says Zanella. “I will never forget that performance. It was so incredibly meaningful to so many people, myself included.”

Since September, Zanella has been working on providing meaningful experiences, quality education, and musical growth to students at PUC in his new role as choral director in the department of music.

“I’m really enjoying getting to know the students,” he says. “They are amazing! My colleagues, too; everyone has been so friendly and welcoming. I’m excited about leading the choirs here and growing the choral program at PUC.”

Despite always living in urban areas and being a self-proclaimed “city boy,” Zanella is excited to be in Angwin.

“I’ve never lived this close to the ocean or a forest like this,” he says. “Now that I live in a place that will help me get more in touch with nature, I can’t wait to go out and explore.”

Adaptation is a skill Zanella has picked up over time as he’s traveled to more places. He was fortunate to have parents who valued opportunities to explore the world, and Zanella says it has made him much more accepting and adaptable. 

“When you leave the bubble in which you grow up, you begin to understand there are multiple ways of thinking and that’s okay,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if I agree with everyone or not; I just accept them and love them as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is something I hope to model for the students I teach, as they are beginning to step further from the bubbles they grew up in.”

When he’s not conducting, finding music for his ensembles, teaching, or working on his doctoral dissertation, Zanella enjoys time with friends, playing racquet sports such as tennis and badminton, and playing board games. He also really enjoys time with his girlfriend, Catriona, a fellow singer and pianist.

“She’s always been very supportive of my career, even though she doesn’t like that I’m so far away now,” Zanella says. He also points out that his family has always supported his path, too. “A lot of musicians don’t have this much support in their pursuits. I’m fortunate.”

Just prior to arriving at PUC, Zanella directed University Singers and the all-collegiate choir at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and was music director at the local Presbyterian church. He holds a master’s degree in music with an emphasis in orchestral and choral conducting from Andrews University, and is finishing his dissertation with plans to complete his Doctor of Musical Arts degree with an emphasis in choral conducting in December through UNL.

As choral director at PUC, Zanella directs both Chorale—the general campus choir—and Vox Pro Musica—the audition-only student chorus. He also teaches music theory. Students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to be part of Chorale; rehearsals are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12-12:50 p.m.