Gabriel Hwang
The Great Gabriel Hwang
Master Violin and Viola Teacher (Violin and Viola). Conductor/Concert Violinist.
Gabriel Hwang is contracted through the Prestige Management LLC Corporation in New York City as a guest conductor in nineteen (19) cities across the United States. Through Prestige Management LLC Corp., Maestro Gabriel Hwang is featured in “A Universal Affair” at Carnegie Hall in Weil Recital Hall.
Gabriel Hwang is deeply involved in chamber music and choral conducting at Great Castle Church in Los Angeles, California.
Hwang began his music education on the piano and violin at the age of five. He then progressed to vocal and instrumental studies. At the age of sixteen, young Hwang made his official debut, conducting the entire score of Handel’s Messiah from memory.
Hwang received his Bachelor of Music degree from Notre Dame de Namur University for violin performance, composition, and instrumental conducting. He also received a Master and Artistic Diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for instrumental conducting, as well as completing the Professional Instrumental Conducting and Violin Performance Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He studied conducting with distinguished teachers such as Daniel Lewis, David Ramadanoff, Jonathan Sternberg, Collin Matters, Carl Topilow, and Vahktang Jordania, and studied violin with world-famous teachers such as Joria Flazaness, Stuart Canin, Daniel Kobialka, and Donald Weilerstein. As a violinist, Hwang served as the principal violinist with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and the Master Sinfonia Orchestra in California. Critics and audiences have praised him for his work as an exceptional choral and symphony conductor, describing him as "a splendid conductor possessing a poet, sensitivity, and craftsman efficiency."
As a result of receiving a prestigious conducting fellowship, Hwang made his debut with the Aspen Festival Orchestra. As a violinist, he won a fellowship from Josef Silverstein to perform with the Aspen Chamber Musical Festival. He is known for his charismatic presence on and off the podium, innovative offerings, and established closed relationships with both orchestras, encompassing a wide scope of repertoire and concert formats throughout the United States.
Some of the orchestras that he has conducted are the Master Sinfonia Orchestra, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, West Bay Orchestra, Guyton Symphony, Riverside Symphony, Tucson Symphony, Marin Symphony, Palo Alto Orchestra, Tasajara Symphony, Kahrkov Philharmonic Orchestra, and Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, to name a few. Hwang’s recordings include Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7; Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5, Reformation; and Tchaikovsky’s overture from Romeo and Juliet. He also made recordings with the Kahrkov Philharmonic conducting the Brahms Symphony No. 4; Richard Strauss’ Don Juan; Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, as well as Brahms’ variation; Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5; and Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.
Presently, Maestro Hwang is the music director and conductor of the Cleveland Central Philharmonic Orchestra. He is an acting member of Prestige Management LLC in New York, a company that markets classical artists around the world. Additionally, he also serves as music director, chamber ensemble teacher, and individual instructor at Cuyahoga College, as well as the head of the string department at The Arlington School of Music, a division of the Arlington Institute of Music and Performing Arts®.
Hwang’s teaching philosophy is that teaching, practicing, and performing in a nonjudgmental environment is the glue that holds musical learning together. He believes that this type of environment allows students the freedom to make mistakes, recognize those mistakes, and correct them with the many necessary repetitions. His goal is to nurture his students into musicians who have a passion for the violin and music and to give them the skills with which to express themselves. Hwang’s main focus is to help students sound beautiful, have a clear understanding of how the violin works, be able to break down tasks, and remain curious.