Gabriel Betancur

Gabriel Betancur has held the position of Principle Horn of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Medellín since 2012. Currently he is Professor of French Horn at the EAFIT University, the Javeriana University of Bogotá and the National University of Colombia.

He was the winner of Third Prize at the International Brass Competition in Timisoara, Romania, in 2011. Also a winner from the prestigious Huygens Scholarship Program, for exemplary international students, awarded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, out of a selection of all the universities in The Netherlands, in 2011. Gabriel finished his Bachelor-studies in French Horn at the University of Antioquia (Medellín), in 2009. He won the scholarship in the Young Artists Talent promotion 2009, which was granted by the ICETEX and the scholarship Colfuturo promotion 2010, for studies abroad. Gabriel Betancur graduated as classical hornist with the distinction Cum Laude, awarded by unanimous jury decision, for his excellent performance and interpretation of the different musical style periods at the Conservatory of Maastricht in Holland, with the renowned Professor Will Sanders, 2010. In 2012 he received his Masters Degree, also with the distinction Cum Laude, at the Conservatory of Maastricht in Holland, with Professor Sanders.

As a soloist he has played in the Dutch broadcasting company Radio 4; for the European cultural channel Brava; with the Opera Orchestra of Timisoara, Romania; the 11th International Music Festival of Tarragona, Spain; the III Seminar with the Wood Quintet of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra; Holland Symphony Orchestra Conservatory; Venezuela Symphony Orchestra; Maule Classical Orchestra in Chile; Rancagua Symphony Orchestra in Chile; Philharmonic Orchestra of Medellín; Philharmonic Orchestra of Cali; II International Festival Peru Horn Tage in Lima, Peru; Cornombia International Horn Festival and Competition in Bogotá, Colombia; Symphony Orchestra of the EAFIT University; Orchestra from the Philharmonic Academy of Medellín; Symphony Orchestra of the UNAB University of Bucaramanga; intermediate Symphony Orchestra from the Music School Network of Medellín and the Manizales International French Horn Festival of Colombia.

Gabriel has played as a principal horn in a number of orchestras and ensembles such as: Tiroler Symphonie Orchester in Innsbruck, Austria; Das Orchester der Schlossfestspiele Zwingenberg in Germany; Flanders Symphony Orchestra in Belgium; Symphony Orchestra of Holland (The Netherlands), The Young Generation Orchestra in Rastatt, Germany; Junges Klangforum Mitte Europe, in Germany; Flexible Horns (The Netherlands); Latin America Youth Orchestra in Venezuela; Zulia State Orchestra in Venezuela; Orchestra of the Bolivarian

Countries CAF; National Symphony Orchestra of Columbia; Philharmonic Orchestra of Medellín; EAFIT Symphony Orchestra; Philharmonic Orchestra of Bolivia; Participation Side by Side in Concerts with the Orchestra Sinfonía por el Perú, a program led by the singer Juan Diego Flórez in Lima, Peru; the Bucaramanga Symphony Orchestra and the Symphonic Band of the University of Antioquia. His dedication to teaching Horn has led him to give a variant of workshops, masterclasses and festivals in Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Spain and France.

Mr. Betancur was the co-founder of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Medellín, where he as the principal horn player, participated in several national and international tours. In 2003 the Colombian government awarded him with the medal Peace Ambassador in recognition for his role in changing the image globally of Medellín and Colombia, via the most magical tool he believes in, Music. In the same year, through the Youth Orchestra of Medellín, he received the prize The Exemplary Colombian, from the Colombian newspaper El Colombiano.

Gabriel Betancur has played under the baton of conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Andrés Orozco, Gustavo Dudamel, Guerassim Voronkov, Bram Sniekers, Robin O’Neill, Karsten Husch, Klaus Eisenmann, Jan Hofmann, Christoph Alstaedt, Francesco Belli, Francisco Rettig, Ruben Cova, Cecilia Espinosa, Alejandro Posada, Luis Biaba and others. Gabriel plays a Hans Hoyer Triple Horn C23.