Gabriel Martins

Biography supplied for the 2024 competition.

Cellist Gabriel Martins (b. 1998) has established himself as one of the world’s most compelling young musicians. His artistry has already been recognized through an extensive list of accolades including the Concert Artists Guild/Young Classical Artists Trust Grand Prize, the Sphinx Competition Gold Medal, the David Popper International Cello Competition Gold Medal, the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians Silver Medal, the Schadt String Competition Gold Medal, the Orford Music Award, and the Prague Spring Czech Music Fund Prize. These successes have led to a number of high-profile debuts including Merkin and Wigmore Halls, 92nd Street Y, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and the Arkansas, Greensboro, Houston, Indianapolis, Memphis, Montréal, New Russian State, Omaha, Pacific, Phoenix, San Francisco, and São Paulo Symphony Orchestras. In 2022, The Strad Magazine declared his all-Bach recital at 92Y to be "flawlessly played...a deeply moving experience”, and Classic FM named him one of their “30 under 30” Rising Stars. His debut album "Bach I" was released in 2023, beginning his full survey of the Bach Cello Suites due to be completed in 2024. His festival appearances include Aspen, Bard, Brevard, Chamberfest Cleveland, Four Seasons, La Jolla, Mainly Mozart, Ravinia, and Yellow Barn. Martins grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. His teachers included Susan Moses at Indiana University, Ralph Kirshbaum at the USC Thornton School of Music, and Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory of Music. In his freshman year at USC, he won the school’s concerto competition as well as its Bach competition. He now makes his residence in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to performing, he also composes, arranges, and teaches. He plays a composite Francesco Ruggieri cello made in Cremona, c. 1690 and a François Nicolas Voirin bow made in Paris, c. 1880.