The American Recital Debut Award Presents
Cellist Gabriel Martins in Carnegie Hall Recital
with Pianist Victor Santiago Asunción
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Saturday, December 13, 2025, at 7:30pm
Featuring Works by Bach, Mozart, Ginastera, Fauré, and Brahms
“Martin’s sense of style and unassuming approach, combined with his lithe,
effortless ability on the cello, made this a deeply moving experience.” – The Strad
filammusic.foundation/the-american-recital-debut-award
New York, NY (October 21, 2025) – Hailed for his “sophisticated musicality and nuanced palette of colors” (The Violin Channel), Brazilian-American cellist Gabriel Martins presents a recital program at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 7:30pm in a program celebrating his receipt of the American Recital Debut Award.
Performing alongside pianist Victor Santiago Asunción, Martins’ program opens with Bach’s Cello Suite No. 2, a deeply personal work for Martins that represents the essence of what he loves about the art form. He says, “To me, his [Bach’s] music has always been the most perfect, beautiful, and full of wonder. The Six Cello Suites are our ‘sacred text,’ and the Second Suite in D minor showcases a profound capacity for darkness, depth, and humanity.”
Martins’ own transcription of Mozart’s Violin Sonata in E Minor follows, about which Martins explains, “Recently, I have made a project of transcribing several of Mozart’s pieces, and the E minor Violin Sonata struck me as particularly suited to the cello, with its tender melancholy and graceful lyricism.”
Next, Ginastera’s Pampeana No. 2 presents a striking contrast in the program, capturing the vast, untamed landscapes of the Argentine Pampas. This piece, dedicated to the composer’s wife, cellist Aurora Natola-Ginastera, brims with drama, passion, and energy. Martins said, “It stands, I believe, among the greatest cello and piano compositions written outside of Europe.”
While much of this program leans toward the serious and intense, Fauré’s Papillon offers a moment of lightness and charm. Originally titled simply “Pièce,” it gained its present name, meaning “Butterfly,” after Fauré’s publisher remarked that it seemed to flutter and dance through the air.
The evening concludes with Brahms’ Cello Sonata No. 1, one of the cornerstones of the cello repertoire. Martins said, “It is an early masterpiece, full of youthful sincerity and unguarded beauty. For many of us, it is a work that first made us fall in love with the instrument (myself included). It is music that feels whole and complete, from its iconic deep opening to its thrilling finish.”
Established in 2023 by pianist and artistic administrator Victor Santiago Asunción in honor of the late cellist Lynn Harrell, the American Recital Debut Award supports exceptional emerging classical musicians who demonstrate strong potential for a performance career, providing them with a concert at a venue of international renown, professional mentorship from an illustrious artistic advisory board – comprising GRAMMY® Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey, cellist, founder and artistic director of The Piatigorsky Foundation, Evan Drachman; award-winning soprano Margarita Gomez Giannelli, and Victor Santiago Asunción – and concert engagements over three consecutive seasons.
The awardees are selected by Asunción in conjunction with a group of distinguished musicians led by Zuill Bailey. Those recognized must demonstrate the ability to sustain a career that can adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the performing arts and exhibit the capacity to cultivate an audience across both live and online platforms, as well as a level of accessibility that transcends traditional boundaries to reach broader audiences. A longtime chamber music partner of Harrell’s, Asunción created the award as a way to give back and honor the opportunities and mentorship he received through their collaboration.
Gabriel Martins is one of two 2025 recipients of the award who were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and strong potential as emerging classical musicians. Martins brings with him a distinguished list of accolades, including the Concert Artists Guild/Young Classical Artists Trust Grand Prize, the Sphinx Competition Gold Medal, and the David Popper International Cello Competition Gold Medal. His accomplishments have led to high-profile debuts at Carnegie Hall, Kaufman Music Center, Wigmore Hall, and 92nd Street Y, as well as performances with major orchestras across North and South America.
Program Information
The American Recital Debut Award Presents Gabriel Martins and Victor Santiago Asunción
Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 7:30pm
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City
Link: www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2025/12/13/Gabriel-Martins-Cello-Victor-Santiago-Asuncion-Piano-0730PM
Program
Bach – Cello Suite No. 2
Mozart – Violin Sonata in E Minor K304
Ginastera – Pampeana No. 2
Fauré – Papillon
Brahms – Cello Sonata No. 1
Gabriel Martins, Cello
Victor Santiago Asuncion, Piano
More About Gabriel Martins
Brazilian-American cellist Gabriel Martins has established himself as one of the world’s most compelling young musicians. He is the recipient of numerous top prizes, including the Concert Artists Guild/Young Classical Artists Trust Grand Prize, Sphinx Competition Gold Medal, David Popper International Cello Competition Gold Medal, and Silver Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. His achievements have led to acclaimed debuts at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, 92nd Street Y, Merkin Hall, and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, as well as solo appearances with major orchestras across the Americas.
In 2022, The Strad praised his all-Bach recital debut in New York as “flawlessly played… a deeply moving experience,” and Classic FM named him one of their “30 under 30” Rising Stars. Known for his rich, mesmerizing sound, Martins performs a wide concerto repertoire and has earned special acclaim for his interpretations of the Bach Cello Suites and his own transcriptions of Bach’s Violin Sonatas and Partitas, which he is currently recording in full.
His performances have been broadcast on NPR, WQXR, KUSC, and WFMT. He has appeared at leading festivals including Aspen, Ravinia, La Jolla, Yellow Barn, Chamberfest Cleveland, and Mainly Mozart.
Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Martins began cello studies at age five. He earned his B.M. from USC Thornton with Ralph Kirshbaum and his M.M. from New England Conservatory with Laurence Lesser. Based in Charleston, SC, he also composes and teaches. He plays a c.1690 Francesco Ruggieri cello with a François Nicolas Voirin bow. Learn more at www.gabrielmartinscello.com.
About Victor Santiago Asunción
Hailed by The Washington Post for his “poised and imaginative playing,” Filipino-American pianist Victor Santiago Asunción has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey and the USA, as a recitalist and concerto soloist.
A chamber music enthusiast, he has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey, Antonio Meneses, Joshua Roman, Giora Schmidt, the Dover, Emerson, and Vega String Quartets. He was on the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Garth Newel Summer Music Festival. He was also the pianist for the Garth Newel Piano Quartet for three seasons. Festival appearances include the Amelia Island, Highland-Cashiers, Music in the Vineyards, and Santa Fe.
His recordings include the complete Sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven for Piano and Cello, Sonatas by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff with cellist Joseph Johnson, the Rachmaninoff Sonata with the cellist Evan Drachman, and the Chopin and Grieg Sonatas, also with cellist Evan Drachman. He is featured in the award-winning recording Songs My Father Taught Me with Lynn Harrell, produced by Louise Frank and WFMT-Chicago. Mr. Asunción is the Founder, Artistic Director, and Board Director of FilAm Music Foundation, a non-profit foundation that is dedicated to promoting Filipino classical musicians through scholarship and performance. Victor Santiago Asunción is a Steinway Artist. Learn more at www.victorsantiagoasuncion.com.
*Photo Credit: Martin Allison
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