The Edmonton Chamber Music Society | Gabrielle Després, violin

The Edmonton Chamber Music Society

Gabrielle Després, violin

Gabrielle Després
photo: Juri Hiensch | jurihiensch.nl

Praised for her musical integrity and artistry, Canadian violinist Gabrielle Després has garnered numerous awards, most recently winning first prize in the 2022 Juilliard Concerto Competition and the 2020 Irving M. Klein International String Competition. She also earned second prize in the 2023 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, the 2022 Washington International String Competition. She was included in CBC’s list of 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30 for 2020.

As a soloist, she has performed with the Juilliard Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton. Most recently, she performed the Brahms Double Concerto with James Baik and the Peninsula Symphony. From 2021-2022, she served as Concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra, including a performance of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano. Upcoming performances include concerts at the Edmonton Chamber Music Society’s Summer Solstice Music Festival and the Schiermonnikoog Festival in the Netherlands.

An avid chamber musician, she has recently performed at the Music in the Vineyards festival and the Edmonton Summer Solstice Music Festival as well as with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. Passionate about community engagement, Gabrielle spent 2021-2022 performing as a Gluck Community Engagement Fellow, working to create interactive programs that merge music and theatre to share across various hospitals and nursing homes throughout New York City.

Gabrielle received a Bachelor of Music at the Juilliard School where she studied with Masao Kawasaki and Joseph Lin. She also studied the baroque violin under the direction of Robert Mealy in 2021. She is currently pursuing her Master of Music at Juilliard as a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship, studying with Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein.

She is also very grateful to her former teachers, Robert Uchida and James Keene, for their guidance during her earlier years of study.

Gabrielle has spent her summers studying at the Orford Summer Music Academy, Morningside Music Bridge, the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival, the Domaine Forget de Charlevoix International Music Academy, the Aspen Music Festival, and Kneisel Hall. She will be studying and performing at the Verbier Academy this summer.

Gabrielle currently plays on a violin of Zosimo Bergonzi, Cremona, graciously provided to her by CANIMEX INC., from Drummondville, Quebec, Canada.

She gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation in supporting her education and career development.