Gabriela Lena Frank facts for kids

Gabriela Lena Frank (born in September 1972) is an American pianist and composer. She writes contemporary classical music, which is a type of music written in our modern times.

About Gabriela Lena Frank

Gabriela Lena Frank was born in Berkeley, California, in the United States. Her father is from a Lithuanian Jewish family. Her mother is Peruvian and has Chinese roots. Gabriela grew up in Berkeley. Her parents met in Peru in the 1960s. Her father was a Peace Corps volunteer there.

Gabriela studied music at Rice University. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees there. Later, she got her doctorate in music composition. This was from the University of Michigan in 2001. She learned from many great composers. These included Paul Cooper and William Bolcom.

Her Music Style

Gabriela Lena Frank's music often shows her mixed background. She especially uses ideas from her mother's Peruvian heritage. In her songs, you might hear sounds like Peruvian pan flute. You might also hear the charango guitar. These sounds are usually made by Western instruments. She writes for a symphony orchestra or a string quartet.

She once said that her music helps her understand herself. She explores how much of her is Latina and how much is gringa (a term for a non-Latin American person).

Her Professional Life

Many famous groups and musicians have asked Gabriela to write music for them. They have also performed her works. Some of these include the Kronos Quartet and Yo Yo Ma. His group, the Silk Road Project, has also played her music. The San Francisco Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra are other big names.

She has been a composer-in-residence at many places. This means she worked closely with an orchestra for a time. Some of these include the Seattle Symphony and the Nashville Symphony. From 2009 to 2012, she advised the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. She is currently a composer-in-residence. She works with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Symphony.

In 2009, Gabriela received a Guggenheim Fellowship. This is a special award for artists. She also won a Latin Grammy Award that year. It was for her piece called "Inca Dances." This music was written for a guitarist and a string quartet.

A PBS documentary called "Peregrinos" featured her in 2009. It was about her time with the Indianapolis Symphony. She wrote music inspired by Latino immigrants there. In 2010, she won a United States Artists Fellow award.

Gabriela Lena Frank is part of the Silk Road Ensemble. This group is led by the famous cellist Yo Yo Ma. Her song "Ritmos Anchinos" is on their album "Off the Map." This album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2011.

In 2011, she released her own CD called "Hilos." It featured her works played by the ALIAS Ensemble. The CD was very popular. It was even nominated for a Grammy Award in 2012. Gabriela played piano on this album.

In 2012, she wrote a new piece for an Ecuadorian group. This group, La Orquesta de Instrumentos Andinos, plays traditional instruments. Her work, "Compadre Huashayo," uses only native instruments. PBS made another documentary about this project in 2013.

In 2013, Gabriela received the Medal of Excellence. This award is for young Black and Latino leaders in classical music. She received it at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. She even met Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Ginsburg.

Gabriela also works with playwright Nilo Cruz. They create new musical pieces for singers. She is also a Grammy-nominated pianist. She has played with many top orchestras.

In 2015, Gabriela moved from the San Francisco Bay Area. She started a farm with her husband in Boonville, California. In 2017, she opened her own school. It is called the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music. Here, young composers can work with famous musicians. She often travels to teach and perform.

In 2020, Dr. Frank received the 25th Annual Heinz Award. This award recognized her for mixing Latin American sounds into classical music. It also honored her for breaking barriers in music.

Selected Works

Orchestra

• Apu: Tone Poem for Orchestra (2017)
• Concertino Cusqueño (2012)
• Elegía Andina (2000)
• Escaramuza (2010)
• Five Scenes (2015)
• Karnavalingo (2013)
• Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (string orchestra) (2001)
• Manchay Tiempo (Time of Fear) (2005)
• Peregrinos (2009)
• Raíces (2012)
• Requiem for a Magical America: El Día de los Muertos (orchestral version) (2012)
• Three Latin American Dances (2004)
• Two American Portraits (2008)
• Two Peruvian Dances (for beginning string orchestra) (2015)
• Walkabout: Concerto for Orchestra (2016)

Soloist(s) and Orchestra

• La Centinela y la Paloma (The Keeper and the Dove) (2010) Soloist: Soprano
• Compadrazgo (2007) Soloists: Piano, cello
• Cuentos Errantes: Four New Folk Songs (2015) Soloist: Piano
• Havana Jila (2003) Violin
• Illapa: Tone Poem for Flute and Orchestra (2004) Soloist: Flute
• Journey of the Shadow (2013) Soloist: Narrator
• La Llorona: Tone Poem for Viola and Orchestra (2007) Soloist: Viola
• Will-o’-the-Wisp (2013) Soloist: Piccolo

Orchestral Winds and Percussion

• Requiem for a Magical America: El Día de los Muertos (2006)

Soloist(s) and Large Ensemble

• Compadre Huashayo (2012) Soloists: 3 Male voices; Ensemble: 3 Quena (3 Quenilla), 2 Flauta de Pan, 2 Zampoña, 6 Toyo, 6 Percussion, 4 Charango, 4 Bandolín, 4 Bandola, 6 Guitarra, Arpa Andina, Contrabass
• Haillí Lírico (2010) Soloist: Violin; Large Ensemble: 4fl, 2perc, 4vn, 2va, 2vc, 2db

Opera

• El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego) (2022)

See also

In Spanish: Gabriela Lena Frank para niños