Gabrielle currently plays second oboe and English horn for the Tucson Symphony, in addition to working as a Teaching Artist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Active in the Los Angeles music community, she has performed with various ensembles and orchestras including the Pacific Symphony, the Jacaranda Music Festival, and the Santa Monica Symphony. Gabrielle has occupied the English horn positions of both the Debut Orchestra and the American Youth Symphony in Los Angeles. Summer festival participation includes Master Classes for Winds and Strings at the Banff Centre, the Sarasota Music Festival, a tour of South America with Youth Orchestra of the Americas, and Domaine Forget. She has also performed as a guest artist at Music Academy of the West. In demand as a teacher, Gabrielle is on faculty as an oboe lecturer at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and she has been the oboe coach for the Idyllwild Arts Orchestra and the oboe teaching assistant for Idyllwild Arts Summer Program. Gabrielle maintains a private oboe studio in addition to teaching at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, CA. Principal teachers include Allan Vogel, Scott Hostetler, and Carolyn Hove. She received both a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literary Studies and a Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from Northwestern University, as well as a Master of Music degree from the University of Southern California.
When did you start playing/how long have you played your instrument?
I’ve been playing oboe since I was 12.
Why did you choose your instrument?
I started on the violin at 5 and picked up clarinet in the 5th grade band. By the end of 6th grade, I decided I wanted to play a more unique instrument, and switched from clarinet to oboe (I had originally thought to try bassoon, but my friend who played flute decided to switch to bassoon and she was much taller than me, so I went with the bassoon’s smaller cousin).
Do you play any other instruments?
In addition to violin and clarinet, I’ve played cello, and briefly mandolin and viola.
What advice would you give to kids learning to play your instrument?
Find a teacher and a good reed source! Oboe is a difficult instrument to learn and can be very frustrating on your own.
If you could play a different instrument, what would it be?
I think maybe viola.
Favorite composers?
Too many!
Guilty musical secret?
I like running to pop music, including Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, and ABBA.
What might your career be if you hadn’t chosen to be a musician?
I think maybe a veterinarian or ecologist.
Hobbies?
I’m a bit of a movie buff and I also love good fiction. I run and swim pretty regularly, and I like to bike and hike when I have the chance.
Hometown?
Originally, Avon, CT. Middle and high school years were spent in Houston, TX.
Interesting personal fact?
I have a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature as well as music, and I wrote my thesis on Jean Sibelius’s use of the Finnish national epic, The Kalevala, in his music.
What are your three favorite movies?
Too many to name, but I can tell you who some of my favorite directors are: Coen Bros, Michael Mann, Vittorio De Sica, Alfred Hitchcock, Jim Sheridan.
What good book have you read most recently?
I finally finished reading Moby Dick! Actually, I was a little disappointed.
Favorite Tucson restaurant?
Yet to find out!
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