Meet Gabrielle Garo of North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Garo

Hi Gabrielle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY in a multi-cultural household. With my dad being from the Dominican Republic and my mom from New Orleans, there was always music around us in various capacities. Nonetheless, they supported every activity my siblings and I were interested in. At the age of 4 I expressed I wanted to play the drums, so my mom started me out with some fundamentals. Shortly after, I was in a leotard doing backflips in my weekly gymnastics classes. I was then in karate, singing lessons, modeling, acting, you name it. If you thought that wasn’t enough, I was also on the same baseball team as my older brother. We played competitively on a team for years.
I will say, I was interested in whatever my brother did due to us being close in age and upbringing, such as karate and baseball. So when he began playing the flute in elementary school… yes, you guessed it… I began playing the flute as well. At 9 years old I found my passion, my “A and B plan.” Crazy right? After school I would practice at home until I went to sleep, still getting my homework done of course. I was walking all around the house showing my family what I was learning and improving on. Within the same year, I wrote my first song that I performed in our school’s showcase, won the district’s scholarship to the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and was accepted into Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program at 10 years old. That was the beginning of my journey in other programs like Middle School Jazz Academy at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Harlem School of the Arts, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp and much more.
I went on to be accepted into the National Junior Honor Society, the National Honor Society for Dance Arts, and participated in the world record breaking event for the largest flute ensemble at 13 years old. I began performing professionally at the age of 16 – eventually with many artists like Jennifer Hudson and Jon Batiste – making TV appearances, winning various awards, and touring the world. While balancing my studies, I graduated LaGuardia High School in 2015, obtained my undergraduate degree in Jazz Performance in 2019 and my Master’s Degree in Arts Management & Entrepreneurship in 2020 from The New School.
In January 2020 at age 22 I started performing in Los Angeles. I performed at The Grammy Awards with Lizzo, which marked the beginning of my journey working with her to this day. At the time I was making more connections and flying back and forth between New York and LA to record in sessions. September of 2021 is when I officially moved to LA. I worked with Beyoncé, Chloe x Halle, and other artists such as Ab-Soul. I’ve recently completed a South American and European tour with Karol G.
All in all, determination and diligence amongst many other factors have led me to where I am today.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road hasn’t been smooth, but it’s been one filled with lessons, gratitude, and empowerment.
Just like any other craft, the music industry comes with many hurdles. It hasn’t been easy, regardless, I’m grateful I come from a very strong background. Despite any challenges I never compromised myself, my art nor my character. I eventually learned to embrace any and everything that made me different from others, whether it was simply my age, gender, race, or even musicianship.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a creative that loves to perform music of various genres on various instruments – that’s always been a goal of mine. I have led my own group and have been a part of others. I compose, arrange music, and have some of my own music in the works, as I also record for additional artists. Examples of this can be heard in Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter,’ the Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band’s Grammy-nominated, ‘West Side Story Reimagined’ and ‘Vox Humana,’ among others.
Throughout this process, I’m most proud of my resilience. Along with my unwavering love for my craft, my love for myself and the way I resonate with others. The industry, much like the world in general can be unforgiving but most importantly it’s about how you respond to it, how you choose to support it, and who you decide to be as a person in spite of obstacles.
What sets me apart from others is my mindset and character. Since I started playing I always valued being different from others and never taking the same path as the majority. Additionally, I perform on multiple instruments – piccolo, flutes, and alto, tenor and soprano saxophones – with the ability to pick up more. As previously mentioned, I value versatility and staying true to myself by any means.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I like checking out podcasts from time to time, as well as reading and receiving recommendations from others on resources alike. However, my relationship with God is ultimately what gives me everything I need in order to do my best in life, aside from my family and friends. That is what keeps me grounded at work and in this life in general.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gabriellegaro.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabrielle_vg/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabrielle.garo.9?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Terrance L. Carney, Lauren Desberg, Felipe Orvi, Paloma Chao, Sarah Escarraz