“Gabriel’s passion for music is unbounded. He works magic as a performer in the broadest of genres and as an inspired educator. His work in building cultural and social bridges with his music is equally exceptional.”
Teddy Abrams
“GabRIEL Globus-Hoenich is one of the absolute best musicians I know. His versatility, creativity and the excitement he puts on every music project, makes me want to be a better musician. ”
Achilles Liarmakopoulos (Canadian Brass)
Short Bio
Percussionist Gabriel Globus-Hoenich blends a multitude of musical influences together in his work as a performer, composer, and educator. A Montreal native, Gabriel is now based in New York City, where his career reflects a deep love for the worlds of jazz, classical, and world music. Gabriel has performed and recorded on drumset and percussion with a wide variety of artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Jack Harlow, Morgan James, Jim James, Chris Thile, Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Yuja Wang, Omara Portuondo, Telmary Díaz, Roberto Fonseca, Tirso Duarte, Steve Hackman, the Philly Pops, Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and Louisville Orchestra, among others. He performed on the 2024 Grammy-winning album The American Project by Yuja Wang and Teddy Abrams and toured with Chris Thile and the Louisville Orchestra performing Thile’s concerto ATTENTION.
In 2017, Gabriel founded People of Earth, a 13-piece Cuban Timba band filled with some of NYC's best musicians representing a myriad of countries. People of Earth has performed at venues such as Disney Hall, Carnegie Hall, New World Center for the Arts, Mann Center, and Kennedy Center. For more information, visit www.peopleofearthmusic.com.
An active composer and arranger, Gabriel has written orchestral arrangements for Grammy winners Sam Bush, Cory Henry, and Sara Jarosz, as well as Achilles Liarmakopolous of the Canadian Brass, Grammy-nominated Tiempo Libre, and the Louisville Orchestra. Gabriel received a 2023 BRIO Award from the Bronx Council for the Arts for his work in composition.
In addition to his work in the orchestral and jazz music worlds, Gabriel has completed extensive world percussion studies, having studied Afro-Brazilian percussion in Salvador, Bahia, with Gabi Guedes and Mario Pam, as well as Cuban percussion with Giraldo Piloto, Rociel Riveron, and Adonis Panter Calderon. Gabriel continues to work as a teaching artist for the 92nd Street Y and Marquis Studios and was formerly a teaching artist with Play On Philly! and musician-in-residence at The Please Touch Museum. He is a 2008 graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Don Liuzzi and Robert van Sice.
LONG BIo
Canadian-American percussionist Gabriel Globus-Hoenich has been a professional percussionist, composer, and educator for more than a decade. Born into a musical family in Montreal, Gabriel began studying percussion in Boston with local educator Gary Spelissey. As a young musician, Gabriel explored a wide range of musical styles, from Beatles songs on drum kit to jazz standards on vibraphone. While in high school, he performed with jazz ensembles at New England Conservatory pre-college, orchestras with the Greater Boston Youth Symphony and Longy School, and vibraphone with the Massachusetts All-State Jazz Band. Gabriel also played rock ‘n’ roll in Boston’s teenage music scene and performed professionally in musical theater productions.
In his final year of high school, Gabriel decided to focus on classical percussion and marimba, studying with Craig McNutt, Dan Bauch, and Gary Feldman at Walnut Hill School for the Arts. He was accepted to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Philadelphia Orchestra timpanist Don Liuzzi, as well as Scott Robinson, Rolando Morales, and Robert van Sice. During his time at Curtis, Gabriel received the Avedis Zildjian Percussion Scholarship and performed with world-class musicians at venues like Verizon Hall and Carnegie Hall.
After graduating in 2008, Gabriel dove into Philadelphia’s rich jazz scene, studying with Byron Landham, Rodney Green, and Kenny Washington. He became a regular in the Philly jazz community, performing with artists such as Tim Warfield, Tia Fuller, Orrin Evans, and Pat Bianchi.
In 2012, Gabriel moved to New York City, where he developed a passion for Latin music after a tour in Peru. He studied Afro-Brazilian percussion in Salvador, Bahia, with Gabi Guedes and Mario Pam, and Cuban percussion in Havana with Giraldo Piloto, Rociel Riveron, and Adonis Panter Calderon. Gabriel has performed Latin music with Tiempo Libre, Calixto Oviedo, Tirso Duarte, John Benitez, Luisito Quintero, Axel Laugart, Miguel de Armas, Hilario Duran, and Oriente López.
Gabriel has collaborated extensively as both a performer and recording artist with a wide array of musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, Jack Harlow, Jim James, Chris Thile, Yuja Wang, Arturo O'Farrill, Omara Portuondo, and Steve Hackman. He performed on the 2024 Grammy-winning album The American Project by Yuja Wang and Teddy Abrams and toured with Chris Thile and the Louisville Orchestra performing Thile’s concerto ATTENTION.
In 2017, Gabriel founded People of Earth, a 13-piece Latin fusion group featuring some of NYC's top musicians. The band has performed at Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Kennedy Center, and New World Center, among others.
As a composer and arranger, Gabriel has been commissioned by ensembles such as Dolce Suono Ensemble, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Britt Festival. His orchestral arrangements include works for Grammy winners Sam Bush, Cory Henry, and Sara Jarosz, as well as Grammy-nominated Tiempo Libre. Gabriel received a 2023 BRIO Award from the Bronx Council on the Arts for his work in composition.
Gabriel’s career as an educator includes work with Carnegie Hall, 92nd Street Y, Play On Philly!, and Marquis Studios. A passionate teaching artist, he inspires musicians of all ages. Gabriel is also a longtime collaborator with conductor Teddy Abrams, having performed with the Louisville Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, and at the GardenMusic Festival in Miami.