Lukas Gabric, PhD (1987) is an Austrian born saxophonist, pedagogue, composer, and musicologist. Dr. Gabric has taught at the Juilliard School’s preparatory division and The City College of New York aside from many other teaching engagements and master classes all across the globe. His performance activity has led him to China, the US, South Korea, Brazil, Germany, Hungary, Mongolia, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland and his playing is documented on over ten albums. Dr. Gabric also holds a post-graduate Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School, where he was coached by iconic artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, Kenny Barron, and many others. As a composer he received a Herb Alpert Award from the American Society for Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) in 2016.
“I had the pleasure and honor to study with some of the greatest jazz performers and educators such as Joel Frahm, Eric Alexander, Walt Weiskopf, Billy Harper, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, John Patitucci, Reggie Workman, Steve Wilson, Ron Blake, Carl Allen, and to many other incredible artists. The interactions with each of these iconic artists have taught me invaluable musical and life lessons that I reflect on daily and will carry with me all my life.
My main goal is to keep students inspired and assist them in achieving their short, mid, and long-term musical goals. Every student has his*her specific strengths and weaknesses and I always aim to help them as patiently and effectively as I can.
Throughout the years I had the opportunity to perform all across the globe and with innumerable wonderful artists. I consider it a big personal achievement to have completed a PhD in musicology while maintaining an active performance career. My participation in the most renowned jazz competition, The Thelonious Monk Competition, and my experiences as a student and faculty member at The Juilliard School are also something I feel very fortunate to have under my belt. I firmly believe that you’re only as a good as your last performance and so I try not to hold on to past successes and rather focus on the future and keep on learning.
Artists such as John Coltrane, Stan Getz, and Dexter Gordon are very dear to my heart and will always continue to be endless sources of inspiration for me.”