Gabriel Cabezas, cello
Cellist Gabriel Cabezas, named one of the Washington Post’s “performers to watch,” is a true 21st-century musician. Gabriel is a sought-after soloist and collaborator, both for his interpretations of new works and pillars of the cello repertoire.
His orchestral appearances in the 2024-25 season include premieres of Gabriella Smith’s concerto Lost Coast at the Cabrillo Festival, conducted by Cristian Macelaru, and with the New York Philharmonic led by John Adams. Gabriel first premiered the concerto in 2023 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel. Lost Coast is inspired by Smith's reflections on climate change, and is a reimagining of part of their collaborative album of the same name, one of NPR Music’s “Favorite Albums Of 2021” and a New York Times “Classical Album to Hear Right Now.” Gabriel has previously appeared with leading orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra, and has premiered dozens of new works by some of today’s most acclaimed composers.
Gabriel is a member of the genre-leading chamber sextet yMusic, acclaimed for “transcending all the conventions that they were trained in” (NPR Music). Their virtuosity, creativity, and unique musicality have attracted collaborators from Paul Simon to Ben Folds, and inspired an expanding repertoire of works by prominent composers including Caroline Shaw, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, and Andrew Norman. The ensemble’s debut self-composed album, YMUSIC (2023), was praised by Strings Magazine as "one of the most exciting and confident chamber music releases of the year.”
Gabriel recently co-founded the string quartet Owls, described by The New York Times as “a dream group.” With its unique instrumentation of violin, viola, and two cellos, the quartet weaves together new compositions with fresh arrangements of works from the 1600s to the present. He is also co-founder of Duende, a new music and contemporary dance collective.
Gabriel has recorded extensively as a studio musician, appearing on releases by Phoebe Bridgers, John Legend, Rufus Wainright, and Taylor Swift, among others.
Gabriel is a recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, an early-career grant awarded to extraordinary classical Black and Latinx musicians. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music under Carter Brey.
