Gabriela Garza
Gabriela Garza Canales (she/her/ella) is a percussionist, conductor, and arts administrator based in Seattle, Washington, and is truly honored to be part of Unbound Symphony’s inaugural performance!
Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Gabriela has spent her life exploring a wide range of musical styles as a performer, including symphonic, band, pop, rock, funk, Latin, experimental, and contemporary music. That variety of experiences continues to shape the versatility and curiosity she brings to her work today.
Gabriela began her percussion studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) under the instruction of Dr. Noel Rafael Savón Favier before moving to the University of New Mexico, where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance under Professor Scott Ney. She currently performs with several ensembles in the Seattle area, including the Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Northwest, and Thalia Symphony Orchestra.
She later completed a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting at the University of New Mexico under the mentorship of Dr. Jorge Pérez-Gómez before moving to Seattle to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Washington under Dr. David Rahbee and Professor Ludovic Morlot. Gabriela will complete her DMA in June 2026, with research focused on accessibility practices in community orchestra settings and the impactful role music can play in building more inclusive and empowering communities.
As a conductor and guest conductor, Gabriela has worked with a variety of orchestras including the Poulsbo Community Orchestra, Whidbey Island Orchestra, Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, Sammamish Symphony Orchestra, Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, the UANL Symphony Orchestra, and more.
Alongside her performing career, Gabriela is also an arts administrator and is currently in her fifth year at the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, where she serves as Director of the Seattle Conservatory of Music. She is an alumni of the League of American Orchestras’ Essentials of Orchestra Management program (2024) and recently completed an online Nonprofit Management Certificate through the University of San Diego (2026).
Outside of music, Gabriela loves spending time outdoors paddle boarding, biking, and taking long walks, and can usually be found with a good fiction novel close by.
