Biography

Gal Faganel has been praised in the press for his captivatingly beautiful sound (RTV Slovenia) and for his deep and stirring interpretation of music (Večer).  He is frequently heard as a soloist and in chamber music recitals throughout North America and Europe.  Recently he was appointed associate principal cellist of the Phoenix Symphony.

Growing up in a musical family, Gal declared the desire to play cello at age three. When he was eight years old he began studying cello in his native Slovenia.  He continued his studies in Croatia, where he won an international competition, which led to an invitation and a full-tuition scholarship to study at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.  His university studies culminated in a Doctor of Musical Arts degree.  Gal’s mentors include Eleonore Schoenfeld, Nathaniel Rosen, Daniel Rothmuller and Dobrila Berković-Magdalenić.

While in Los Angeles, Gal collaborated with many renowned conductors and soloists. Among them were Sergiu Comissiona, Zubin Mehta, Mehli Mehta, Lionel Friend, Carl St.Clair, Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrel, Midori Goto, Isaac Stern, and Itzak Perlman.  As a soloist Gal performed Haydn, Shostakovich, Fauré, Saint-Saëns, Bruch and Couperin with orchestras in Europe and in the United States.

As a member of Tetraktys String Quartet Gal Faganel toured and competed in the United States and in Europe.  He also performed as a member of various other chamber ensembles, particularly his favorite – string trio.  Since his teenage years he has regularly appeared in recitals in Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, and in the United States.

Gal has won many international competitions and received numerous awards, including the International Cello Competition “Antonio Janigro” in Croatia, the American String Teacher’s Association Competition in California, and the Slovenian National Competition as a soloist and with piano trio.  In 1997 he was honored with the title“The Young Musician of the Year“ in Slovenia.  The following year he won a national competition to represent Slovenia at the EBU-Eurovision competition in Lisbon, Portugal.

He also has a number of radio and CD recordings to his credit.  These include live broadcasts and archival recordings for National Radio Slovenia, Radio Koper, Holland Radio, and Classical KUSC in Los Angeles.  Recently he began to research, perform and record  Slovenian music for violoncello.

Gal greatly enjoys teaching cello and coaching chamber music.  From 2004 to 2007 he taught at the University of Southern California and maintained a private studio in Los Angeles.  He is currently on faculty at Scottsdale Community College and continues to perform and teach in various capacities in the United States and in Europe.