Gabriel Pecar’s undergraduate college experience brought together dual — and often unaligned — passions.

Pecar, 23, of Cadiz, Ohio, will graduate Saturday from Duquesne University with two bachelor’s degrees — one in physics and another in music.

“I feel like I wouldn’t be happy if I walked away from one or the other,” Pecar said. “With physics, you get to learn so much and develop a lot intellectually. With music, it’s a similar opportunity to contribute, and you can contribute to everyone’s everyday experience.”

Pecar said his passions for saxophone and mathematics didn’t come until later in his high school career. He considered Duquesne after hearing a recommendation from a high school music teacher and his older brother, Connor, a 2020 Duquesne graduate.

Pecar pursued the two very different disciplines at a high level — he said his time management improved because practicing saxophone and studying physics requires a lot of time independently.

His undergraduate experience took five years, as he participated in study abroad and research trips to Italy, Germany and Japan.

The dedication paid off. Pecar was recognized as the Outstanding Student of the Year in the bachelor’s program at Duquesne’s music school. He received a certificate of excellence in physics from the school of science and engineering.

“To have it all work out in the end is comforting,” he said. “For a while, I was pretty doubtful if it was the right choice, or if I’d ever be at the same level of my peers.”

Following graduation, Pecar will attend Carnegie Mellon University, where he was accepted into the physics doctorate program.

“Throwing yourself into something like that, it’s brought out a lot in me already,” he said. “The prospect of doing that full-time for a few years is what I want at the end.”

Between now and the fall semester, Pecar will delve into exploring the music style of Stanley Turrentine, a Hill District native and saxophonist whose music blended hard bop with soul jazz and blues. The music is a deliberate, approachable sound, Pecar said, and he wants to bring the movement back to Pittsburgh.

The spring and summer are filled with gigs. He’ll play May 16 at Golden Age Beer Co. in Homestead.

Pecar said, throughout his undergraduate years, he became a better learner and began to think more broadly.

“I’ve started to realize it’s all going to be fine,” he said. “The work I’ve put in has very tangible effects on my overall life experience.”