One Movement for Cello

She defies presumptions of appearance. She wears her heart on the sleeve. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, composer Wang Jie went to Ukraine to support the Lviv National Philharmonic in their war zone. The orchestra performed two of her symphonies, while live streaming the concert to a world-wide audience. Jie said: “Death doesn’t scare me. What I fear the most is if my music failed to move people who already love music, or failed to speak beyond all kinds of divide, be it geographical or cultural.” She is a frequent collaborator with organizations that vitalize the authenticity of Western classical music. Most recently, with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, Charlotte Symphony, the Colorado Music Festival, and Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center. Unveiling poetry in the human condition, re-bearing the beauty of classical music, and paving new paths for lasting public engagement are at the heart of her artistry.

In recent years, Jie’s “Symphony No. 1,” and “The Winter that United Us,” were among the most-broadcast symphonic work on public radio across the United States. A popular concert opener, her “Symphonic Overture – America the Beautiful” is adored by tens of thousands of live audiences in the US and EU. During previous seasons, you might have heard about her pioneering opera “It Rained on Shakopee,” based on her mentoring experience at a Minnesota state prison. Her career is made possible by trailblazers at The League of American Orchestras, American Composers Orchestra, Opera America, the Toulmin Foundation, to name a few. Wang Jie studied at the Manhattan School of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music and holds a PhD in Theory and Composition from NYU. A serious pianist herself, Jie tirelessly mentors young composers with a focus on somatic, collaborative, and a musicianship-based approach in creativity. Born in Shanghai, Jie spent most of her life as a New Yorker.

Cellist GABRIEL CABEZAS is a true 21st century musician. A prolific and sought-after soloist and collaborator, he is as comfortable interpreting new works as he is with the pillar scores of the cello repertoire. Gabriel has appeared with America’s finest symphony orchestras, including those of Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland and New York, and has premiered dozens of new works by some of the most brilliant composers of his time.

He recently released Lost Coast, a dynamic album of original music composed by Gabriella Smith inspired by her reflections on climate change, which she has seen devastate her home state of California. The album was named one of NPR Music’s “Favorite Albums Of 2021” and a “Classical Album to Hear Right Now” by The New York Times.

Gabriel will premiere Lost Coast, reimagined by the composer as a daring work for solo cello and orchestra, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel in May 2023.

Gabriel is a member of the acclaimed chamber sextet yMusic. Their virtuosic execution and unique configuration have attracted high profile collaborators—from Paul Simon to Bill T. Jones to Ben Folds—and inspired an expanding repertoire of original works by prominent composers including Caroline Shaw, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly and Andrew Norman.

He is a co-founder of Duende, a new music and contemporary dance collective that focuses on the interaction between musicians and dancers in the realization of new scores. Gabriel has recorded extensively as a studio musician, appearing on releases by Phoebe Bridgers, John Legend, Rufus Wainright and Taylor Swift, among many others.

In 2016, Gabriel received the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, a career grant awarded to extraordinary classical Black and Latinx musicians, who, early in their professional career, demonstrate artistic excellence, outstanding work ethic, a spirit of determination, and ongoing commitment to leadership. Gabriel studied at the Curtis Institute of Music under Carter Brey.