GABRIELLE DESPRÉS

Canadian-born violinist Gabrielle Després is the winner of numerous competitions, most recently first prize in 2022 Juilliard Concerto Competition, second prize in the 2022 Washington International String Competition, first prize in the 2020 Irving M. Klein International String Competition and second prize in the 2021 Shean Strings Competition. She was included in CBC’s list of 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30 for 2020 and in 2022, she was selected as one of the recipients of the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation award.

From a young age, she has competed nationally, winning top prizes in the Canadian Music Competition in both violin and piano. In 2016, she placed second on Radio-Canada’s nationwide television show, “Virtuose”. As a soloist, she has performed with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton. In 2021, she served as Concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra, performing Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano. Most recently, Gabrielle performed the Korngold Violin Concerto in her debut as soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, she has recently performed with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players and in the Music in the Vineyards festival. Passionate about community engagement, Gabrielle has spent the past year 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 will return to Juilliard this fall as a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship as she begins her pursuit of a Master of Music, 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.

Gabrielle currently plays on a 1790 Giuseppe and Antonio Gagliano of Naples violin, generously on loan from the Brobst Violin Shop. She gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Anne Burrows Music Foundation and the Edmonton Community Foundation in supporting her education.

Get tickets to see Gabrielle in May 2023>>>