Gabriel Martins
Cellist
Biography
Cellist Gabriel Martins (b. 1998) gained recognition after winning both the Sphinx Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Competition in 2020. In 2022, he was invited to make his New York recital debut on short notice, stepping in for Steven Isserlis in a program of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suites at 92nd Street Y. The performance was praised by The Strad Magazine as “flawlessly played” and “a deeply moving experience.”
Since then, his career has continued to grow, with recent debuts at Carnegie Hall, Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco), Maison Symphonique (Montréal), Wigmore Hall (London), and with the Alabama, Arkansas, Houston, Indianapolis, Memphis, Omaha, Pacific, Phoenix, Santa Fe, and São Paulo Symphony Orchestras. In 2025, he gave his first tour of Asia, with recitals in Bangkok, Chiayi, Manila, Taipei, and Tokyo.
Martins’ musical approach has been described as “a rare combination of intellectual clarity, emotional depth, and genuine humility,” and as that of “an artist grounded not in performance bravado, but in an unwavering commitment to honoring the music itself” (Cultural Attaché). His focus on the music of Bach culminated in his 2024 debut recording of the complete Cello Suites, followed in 2025 by the Violin Sonatas and Partitas in his own arrangements for cello.
His performances have been broadcast on NPR, WQXR, KUSC, and WFMT, and he was named one of Classic FM’s “30 Under 30” Rising Stars. Festival appearances include Aspen, Bard, Brevard, ChamberFest Cleveland, Four Seasons, La Jolla, Mainly Mozart, Ravinia, Sitka, and Yellow Barn. Among his additional honors are prizes at the David Popper International Cello Competition, the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, the Prague Spring International Music Competition, the Schadt String Competition, the Orford Music Award, and the American Recital Debut Award.
Born to Brazilian and American parents, Martins grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. He began studying the cello at age five with Susan Moses at the Indiana University String Academy. He earned his Bachelor of Music as a Presidential Scholar at the USC Thornton School of Music, studying with Ralph Kirshbaum, and won both the school’s concerto and Bach competitions in his freshman year. He completed his Master of Music at the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Laurence Lesser.
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Martins now resides in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to performing, he composes and teaches. He performs on a composite Francesco Ruggieri cello made in Cremona, c. 1690, and a François Nicolas Voirin bow made in Paris, c. 1880.
Press
"Brazilian–American cellist Gabriel Martins made his New York City mainstage debut at the 92Y in January with a performance of Bach’s first three unaccompanied Cello Suites...flawlessly played. Solo Bach is intensely personal – to perform, to practice and to hear – and I rarely find it completely satisfying in concert. However, Martins’s sense of style and unassuming approach, combined with his lithe, effortless ability on the cello, made this a deeply moving experience. I only wish he had played all six suites!"
Strad Magazine
"Once Martins starts playing, something transforms him. He becomes his instrument and the music. He seems to disengage from us mere mortals to enter a rapturous world of his own. He swoons, he exhales, he grimaces, he sways; he is so at one with the music that he is as thrilling to watch as he is to listen to. He left no emotional stone unturned in his performance...an outstanding artist."
EarRelevant
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"This is a major step in what has already become an impressive and unusually thoughtful young career — one grounded not in spectacle or self-promotion, but in deep artistic sincerity...Martins has emerged as one of his generation’s most sensitive and introspective voices on the cello. His approach reflects a rare combination of intellectual clarity, emotional depth, and genuine humility. He has spent years cultivating his musical identity, most visibly through his striking decision to introduce himself to the public by releasing recordings of all six Bach Cello Suites as individual EPs — a bold move for any young cellist, and one that speaks to his belief in long-term artistic growth rather than momentary splash...What emerges is a portrait of an artist grounded not in performance bravado, but in an unwavering commitment to honoring the music itself."
Cultural Attaché
"Never have I watched a musician play quite like Martins did. My entire body was riveted. I had no words to describe what I was witnessing...I’d never been this observant in my whole life, and probably never would be again...The instrument and Martins were intertwined as one. Literally, at one point I couldn’t tell them apart."
Santa Fe Reporter
"Young cellist Gabriel Martins gave a rich, warm and highly nuanced performance of Robert Schumann's "Cello Concerto" in a minor."
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
"Completely charmed the audience with his lucid, attentive playing...his concentration was infectious"
Cleveland Classical
"Gabriel was polished, focused, and in complete control from the first note to the last. He revealed heart, passion, intellect, and a finely-nuanced palette of colors in a compelling manner worthy of a seasoned artist."
Ralph Kirshbaum
"transcendent"
San Diego Story
"extraordinary"
Classic FM
"Gabriel Martins is turning ears as one of the most exciting artists of his generation...He is already making [The Bach Suites] his own, with a deep, joyful, charismatic artistry that has the classical world taking notice."
92NY
"American-Brazilian cellist, Gabriel Martins, has been praised by critics and audiences for his sophisticated musicality and nuanced palette of colors"
The Violin Channel