Gabrielle Marie Wunsch

Gabrielle Marie Wunsch, 51, known affectionately to her friends as Gabs, passed away in her Vallejo home on July 20, 2026, surrounded by friends, music, and her beloved pets, following an almost 5-year battle with Stage 4 breast cancer. Gabs leaves an unfillable hole in the hearts of the many who loved her, and her absence will be profoundly evident throughout the classical music world. A rare bird equally at home on period and modern violins, she held Bachelor's and Master's degrees in modern violin performance from the Eastman School of Music and SUNY Stony Brook; Bachelor's and Master's degrees in period performance from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague; and Artist Diplomas from Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya and Amsterdam Conservatory. She lived and performed in Europe for nearly a decade as a period specialist with the New Dutch Academy as both assistant concertmaster and principal second violin, Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht, B’Rock, and the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, among others. In North America, she appeared regularly with period groups including Voices of Music and Philharmonia Baroque. Her video of the Biber Passacaglia on YouTube, recorded and released by Voices of Music, has now passed 260,000 views. She performed many chamber and solo programs at the Utrecht, Barcelona, and Göttingen festivals, and was a prize winner in the 2010 Premio Bonporti International Baroque Violin Competition held in Rovereto, Italy. After relocating to the Bay Area, Gabrielle won a position with the Fresno Philharmonic and settled in performing regularly with the Santa Rosa, Monterey, Oakland, Marin, and California Symphonies, as well as the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera and West Edge Opera. She returned to Germany often to play with Göttingen Handel Festspiele, until her health prevented her from continuing to travel, and played every July at the Carmel Bach Festival. Gabs was known for her exquisite taste and sense of beauty. She was a master chef, seamstress, knitter, calligrapher and artist. Her generosity of spirit led her home and table to be filled with friends and fellow musicians needing a place to stay, and she rescued dozens of kitties from the harsh streets. Her uncompromising ethics benefitted countless colleagues when she turned her generous energy to orchestra committee work including CBA negotiations. For humans and animals alike, she found a way to leave the world a better place than she found it, even whilst battling her illness. Gabrielle is survived by her mother Regina, father Walter, brother Michael, his wife Marie, and niece Lily and nephews Samuel and Daniel. She is also survived by her maternal aunt and uncle Eva-Maria and Dieter Hohmann and cousins Andre and Yvonne (Andreas and children), and paternal uncle and aunt Wolfgang and Doris Wunsch and cousins Iris and Sarah (Stephan and children). Donations in Gabrielle's memory may be made to any of the following: Women’s Cancer Resource Center in Berkeley, CA. Solano County Friends of Animals. The Perfect Catch. Memorial information to follow.

Gabrielle Marie Wunsch

April 6, 1975 - July 20, 2026