Gabriel Tsai, 16, began playing piano at five and violin a little over a year later. The violin’s vibrato lifts the sounds from Gabriel’s heart and expresses the color and depth of his feelings. Gabriel continues his violin study under Li Lin.
Gabriel soloed with the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra in September 2019 for winning 1st place in the 2019 Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) Concerto Competition. He made his solo debut with the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra in April 2018 for winning 1st place in the 29th Annual Bellflower Young Artists Concerto Competition. He was invited to perform violin and piano at Carnegie Hall’s Weil Recital Hall in April 2018, and to perform piano at the Hall in December 2016.
He won 1st place in both violin and piano at the Sixth Hong Kong International Music Festival 2020, 1st place in violin at the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC) VOCE State Finals 2020 and 1st place in violin in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition 2020; 2nd prize in violin in ENKOR International Competition, 7th Edition, 2020, 2nd place in both violin and piano in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition 2018, 2nd place in violin open solo and Baroque categories at Southwestern Youth Music Festival 2017. He also won many 1st place piano awards at the Festival and other competitions, including 1st place at the 2019 MTAC Romantic Festival.
He is a member of the first violin section of American Youth Symphony 2020 -2021 and associate concertmaster with Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra 2019-2021 and was concertmaster of Southern California Middle School Honor Full Orchestra 2018 and co-concertmaster with Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings 2018-19. He played at Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall with Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings Quartet 2018-19.
Gabriel also enjoys playing tennis, making 3D animations and hanging out with his friends.
Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Opus 61, 1st Movement; Camille Saint-Saens; 9 minutes 12 seconds
