MAS and KGNU Presents: Gabriel Royal

Performing in Denver for the first time is Brooklyn-based, Oklahoma-born, singer, songwriter, pianist, and cellist, Gabriel Royal.

One of the few musicians combining cello and voice, Royal, down to his last dollar, began his career playing in the subway stations of New York City. Influenced by Stevie Wonder’s groove and Burt Bacharach’s jazzy yet poppy sensitivities, Royal weaves sonic tales through a unique blend of jazz, classical, pop, and neo-soul. To every performance Royal brings infectious energy, humor, and vulnerability, enabling him to engage audiences in a way that only one who nurtures genuine connection with commuters can.

Royal’s 2016, self-titled debut earned him rave reviews for his soaring vocals, hum-along melodies, and lush arrangements. His sophomore release, Miss Once In A Blue Moon (2018), contemplating love and loss, triumph and failure, and the ups and downs of relationships, launched tours for him in Europe and the US. Since then, Royal has been featured on NPR Live Sessions from the Mountain Stage in West Virginia, performed at Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals, and taken the stage at top New York venues including (Le) Poisson Rouge and The Blue Note Jazz Club.

Royal’s newest composition, Dust to Dirge is an original score created to accompany multi-media artwork, Earth Elegy by Ashanti Chaplin. Earth Elegy is an installation comprised of video, aural, sculptural and material impressions of the 13 historic Black towns in Oklahoma which was made in collaboration with Oklahoma community members and civic leaders. “It’s a lyric-less song, like a Gregorian chant, meant to make you think and feel longing,” says Royal of his new music.