Dr. Gabriel Sánchez Porras is a versatile saxophonist and educator from San José, Costa Rica. Sánchez Porras currently serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Coordinator of Jazz Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he teaches applied classical and jazz saxophone, coaches the saxophone quartet, directs the jazz ensemble, and teaches courses in the jazz area. As a clinician, he has been a guest artist at the Universidad de Costa Rica, Instituto Nacional de Música (Costa Rica), and Universidad Autónoma de México.
Sánchez Porras has performed internationally in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, Guatemala, Cuba, France, Switzerland, and throughout the United States in a variety of music festivals, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, Iowa Jazz Festival, Festival Nacional de las Artes (Costa Rica), Festival Internacional de las Artes (Costa Rica), Cosquín Rock, North American Saxophone Conference, Sax Fest Costa Rica, Alianza Latinoamericana de Saxofón (ALASAX), Encuentro Universitario Internacional De Saxofón México, Santa Catarina Music Festival, and Oficina de Música de Curitiba. He achieved third prize in the 2017 ALASAX Classic Saxophone Competition in Cali, Colombia and second prize in the 2019 Yucatán Pan-American Classical Saxophone Competition in Mérida, Mexico.
In Costa Rica, Sánchez Porras performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra, the Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Cartago Municipal Orchestra, and the San José Concert Band. In addition to his experience as a concert saxophonist, he has performed and recorded with artists in a variety of genres such as Latin, pop, reggae, and jazz. He has played with La Big Band de Costa Rica, New Jazz Project, Isla Tambor, and Un Rojo Reggae Band. He has shared the stage a variety of artists such as Father John Misty, Armando Manzanero, Debi Nova, and Ismael Serrano.
Sánchez Porras obtained a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Iowa, a Master of Music from Ball State University, and a Bachelor of Music from the National Institute of Music of Costa Rica.
