Education
Gabriel Placido
About Gabriel
Gabriel was born and raised in Puerto Rico in a family of musicians. Since his childhood, he has been fascinated by playing percussion. At an early age, Gabriel studied drums, percussion, and bassoon in specialized music schools. In 2000, he was accepted to the Conservatory of Puerto Rico as a percussionist.
During his college years, he had the opportunity to represent Puerto Rico with the Conservatory Symphonic Band at Carnegie Hall. Before graduating in 2006, Gabriel won the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra percussionist position. From 2004 to 2022, he had been playing percussion and drums in the Orchestra with artists such as Joshua Bell, Placido Domingo, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Bernie Williams, and conductors such as Angel Velez from the Hollywood Studio Chamber Orchestra, among others. He has also traveled with the Orchestra to Spain, the United States, and the Virgin Islands, representing Puerto Rico. He has recorded music by the composer Roberto Sierra and the urban singer Daddy Yankee. Gabriel has participated as a guest artist in Percussion Festivals of Puerto Rico. He has taught specialty classes to music teachers, junior students, and youth students. He also teaches drums and percussion privately.
In 2014, he decided to return to the Conservatory of Puerto Rico. At that time, he studied jazz drums with Professor Fidel Morales. Once he began studying, Gabriel played with jazz artists such as Charlie Sepulveda, Julito Alvarado, Gabriel RodrÃguez, and Norberto Ortiz. In 2022, Gabriel started his master's degree in jazz drums at Florida International University with Professor Ludwig Afonso. Since 2023, Gabriel has been playing the instrument in different venues in Miami and teaching at the South Florida Center of Percussive Arts.