Gabriel Gekoskie
Gabriel Gekoskie (he/him, b. 2001) is a composer, sound artist, and educator based in State College, PA. Delving into the intricacies of the human experience and exploring the absurd, his creative portfolio spans diverse mediums. Gekoskie's cohesive musical methodology draws inspiration from contemporary phenomena—short attention spans, mass communication, and heightened individualism in the information age. His work resonates with the complexities of modern existence, offering a poignant reflection on the interplay between technology and the human psyche. Currently pursuing a Master of Music in Composition at Penn State University, Gekoskie is studying with Dr. Baljinder Sekhon.
In November 2024, Gabriel presented his largest multi-disciplinary work to date, a chamber opera titled The Cascades of Ares. This project involves collaboration with ceramic artist Bianca MacPherson, projection artist Chen Wang, and librettist Thomas Bryant, and will feature performances by musicians from the Penn State School of Music and members of the Central PA new-music collective, Open Music, directed by Kevin Sims.
In September 2023, Gabriel was appointed artist-in-residence for the Learning Factory's "Build Nights" program at Penn State’s College of Engineering. As the first composer in this prestigious role, he led masterclasses on designing and implementing sound installations using Arduino and Pure Data.
During the summer of 2023, Gekoskie was selected as a composition fellow at the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy. There, he received mentorship from industry professionals such as Laurie San Martin and Greg Oakes, and premiered two open instrumentation pieces, Glass Cannon and Dripcity, with the Cortona performance fellows.
In 2022, Gabriel collaborated extensively with the NYC-based woodwind quintet NU Quintet and the Midwestern new music collective The _____ Experiment. His work with NU Quintet was part of a cross-disciplinary project that merged visual art, improvised dance, and new music, showcased at the Harn Museum in Gainesville, Florida.
Beyond composing, Gabriel is also an active arts documentarian. He has made significant contributions to the University of Florida School of Music, where he recorded performances by artists such as Anthony R. Green, the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, and the NYC-based trio Apply Triangle. In State College, he has collaborated with the Nittany Valley Symphony, Penn State’s Blue Band, and various visiting artists through Penn State’s Living Music program, including Hypercube, Sydeboob Duo, and Project Fusion.