Gabrielius A. TakeLessons Instructor Piano, Classical Piano, Music, Music Theory West 75th Street, New York, NY

Gabrielius is the first Lithuanian to hold a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Juilliard School. The winner of the second prize at the 2005 International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna, Austria, he has appeared as a soloist in Vienna’s Musikverein with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO Wien) under the baton of Bertrand de Billy. In the United States, Gabrielius has been a featured soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra, while in his native country the pianist appears regularly with major orchestras, including the National Symphony, the State Symphony, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, and the Christopher Chamber Orchestra. Daniel Barenboim recently recognized him as “a highly gifted pianist and musician.” Gabrielius has been awarded prizes in more than a dozen piano competitions in Germany, Spain, Austria, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and the United States.

In 2006/2007, Gabrielius presents a recital in Vienna’s Stadtsalon as part of the “Bösendorfer Rising Stars” series, appears in Liszt in Vredenburg Festival in Utrecht (Netherlands), collaborates with the Čiurlionis String Quartet, and performs Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion together with the pianist Ursula Oppens and the New York Philharmonic’s timpanist Joe Pereira in New York’s Yamaha Piano Salon; orchestra engagements include performances with the Lithuanian National and State Symphony Orchestras, in concertos by Beethoven, Bartók, and Rachmaninov. Gabrielius’ recent engagements have included solo recitals in Vienna’s Musikverein, Washington, D.C.’s Corcoran Gallery, and Greenwich, Connecticut’s Bruce Museum; chamber music appearances with the cellist Zvi Harel (Israel) and Vilnius String Quartet (Vilnius); and performances at festivals such as Music Festival of the Hamptons (New York), Piano Century and Chamberfest at Alice Tully Hall, and Europeisches Musikfest Muensterland (Muenster, Germany). In 2003, Gabrielius was one of only six pianists invited by Carnegie Hall (New York) for The Daniel Barenboim Workshop: The Beethoven Piano Sonatas. His recorded concerto performances were broadcast on the BBC, Österreich 1, and EuroClassic radio programs in twelve European countries, while in the US he was heard on WQXR (New York) and on XM satellite radio (Channel 113). Excerpts of Gabrielius’ recorded Beethoven interpretations were featured in conference reports on Beethoven in Warsaw (2005) and on Musical Semiotics in Paris and Imatra, Finland (2004). The pianist was named the Artist in Residence for the 2002-2003 season at International House, New York, a community of selected graduate students and interns from around the globe.

Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, the pianist began his music studies at the age of five. After graduation from the M. K. Čiurlionis Arts Gymnasium in Vilnius, he continued his studies at the Lithuanian Music Academy. In 1996, Gabrielius was invited to attend the Juilliard School, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal, receiving Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in music.

Classical Piano Lessons from instructor with Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Juilliard School.

 I emphasize building a solid technique based on fluid movements, flexible wrists, control of arm weight, and development of singing tone quality.  When following these principles, learning is more efficient, and practicing or performing (no matter on what level) is definitely more enjoyable.   

The pacing of the learning process is entirely up to the student.   My goal as a teacher is that through the pieces my students are studying, they constantly learn something new about the art of music, whether it's the style of the piece, possibilities for phrasing or articulation, musical forms, or the function of the harmony.  With time, they start making these kinds of associations themselves, and so become more involved and knowledgeable musicians.

Classical piano.

Ciurlionis Arts Gymnazium, Lithuania - 1982-1993
The Lithuanian Music Academy - 1993-1996
The Juilliard School - Piano Performance - BM, MM - 1996-2000
The Juilliard School - Piano Performance - DMA - 2000-2006

Piano, Classical Piano, Music, Music Theory

"Ray Iwazumi and Gabrielius brought great care and presence to Ursula Mamlok’s Sonata for Violin and Piano."
The New York Times, February 5, 2002

"The Piano Quintet by Johannes Brahms was masterfully performed by pianist Gabrielius, in collaboration with the Vilnius String Quartet."
Lietuvos Rytas (The Lithuanian morning), Lithuania, January 31, 2006

"Lithuanian Gabrielius did marvels with Schumann‘s Sonata No. 2."
Pretoria News, South Africa, January 29, 2004

"Especially memorable is harmoniousness of Gabrielius’ playing per se, i.e. a perfect agreement of all aspects and details of performance, of the vertical and the horizontal. This harmoniousness is so … confident and so unified that one realizes how impressive is this calmness, this refined, natural freedom, this unforced yet never monotonous unity of conception. "
Muzikos barai (Musical aspects), Lithuania, May-June 2006

"…Gabrielius has a striking presence and a personality that reaches beyond the footlights. [Rachmaninov’s Prelude in] G-flat Major, Op. 23, No. 10—was a gem."
The Island Packet, Hilton Head, South Carolina, March 7, 1999

"The three etudes by Alexander Scriabin [Op. 65] were an extraordinary success for Gabrielius, worthy of a place in the annals of our performers’ art."
Literatūra ir Menas (Literature and arts), Lithuania, August 22, 2003

"[The cellist] Edvardas Armonas and Gabrielius revealed their main qualities: artistic maturity, musicality, high professionalism, mutual respect – the very qualities that are used to describe great masters. …Their recital left a strong impression. It was one of those concerts that renew one’s love of the classics."
7 Meno dienos (7 days in the arts), Lithuania, December 14, 2001