Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Martinez has garnered a stellar reputation for the lyricism of her playing, her compelling interpretations, and her elegant stage presence. She has been described as “a remarkable pianist, with a cool determination, a tone full of glowing color and a seemingly effortless technique,” her touch “magical” (LA Times) and her musicianship “elegant and insightful” (The New York Times).
Gabriela made her orchestral debut at age 6, and since then has performed with over 100 orchestras, including the San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, San Diego, Grand Rapids, New Jersey, Tucson, Pacific and Fort Worth symphonies; Buffalo Philharmonic; Germany’s Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Nürnberger Philharmoniker; Canada’s Victoria Symphony Orchestra; the Costa Rico National Symphony; and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela.
Her conducting colleagues have included Gustavo Dudamel, James Gaffigan, James Conlon, Marcelo Lehninger and Guillermo Figueroa in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Merkin Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City; San Diego’s The Shell, Canada’s Glenn Gould Studio; Salzburg’s Grosses Festspielhaus; Dresden’s Semperoper; Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens; and Paris’s Palace of Versailles. Gabriela’s festival appearances have included Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Colorado and Rockport in the United States; Italy’s Festival dei Due Mondi (Spoleto); Switzerland’s Verbier Festival; the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier; and Japan’s Tokyo International Music Festival.
Gabriela’s passion for new music has led her to premiere works by such composers as Mason Bates, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Paola Prestini, Jessica Meyer, and Dan Visconti. Her debut album, Amplified Soul, was released on the Delos label in 2016, and recognized with a GRAMMY Award for Producer of the Year (David Frost). Her performances have been featured on National Public Radio, CNN, PBS, “60 Minutes,” ABC, “From the Top,” Radio France, WQXR and WNYC (New York), MDR Kultur and Deutsche Welle (Germany), NHK (Japan), RAI (Italy), and on numerous television and radio stations in Venezuela.
Gabriela won First Prize at the Anton G. Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Dresden (2003) and was a semifinalist at the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2005), where she also received the Jury Discretionary Award. She is a fifth-generation pianist; she began her piano studies in Caracas with her mother, Alicia Gaggioni. Gabriela earned Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees at The Juilliard School as a full scholarship student of Yoheved Kaplinsky.
November 2022
Do not make any alterations to this biography. Concert presenters and other interested parties may obtain an updated and/or abridged version by contacting Katie Masterson, katie@samnyc.us.