Pioneer Press - 2/9/06
BY JENNIFER OLVERA
CONTRIBUTOR
Edgar Gabriel isn't happy with the music he hears on the radio, so the Arlington Heights violinist decided to create his own musical style, one that melds influences both of the past and present. The resulting conglomeration of classical, rock, world, jazz and country is future-forward and intriguingly original.
His group, Stringfusion, will perform at the Harper College Community Music Center Saturday, playing songs from its self-produced CD, released late last year.
As is the case with most virtuosos, the groundwork was laid some time back. He started composing pieces in the style of Beethoven and Mozart at age 10 and began taking violin lessons in his hometown of Niles. Not content to stop there, Gabriel studied with Chicago Symphony Orchestra member Arnold Brostoff beginning in seventh grade.
"I always, always loved classical music," he recalled. "I suppose, looking back, it's strange for a kid to be so into it, but I was. I really listened to nothing but."
Gabriel, now a violin instructor at Harper College, went on to study music at Northern Illinois University. Not long after receiving his undergraduate degree, Gabriel accepted a position performing at teas and dinners for the well-to-do at a hotel in West Virginia.