Biography

Gabrielle Zwi is an up and coming musician in the Washington, DC area who masterfully blends folk-pop with bossa nova in songs about love, identity, and breaking barriers. They are a Brazilian-American dual-citizen and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and they have Autism Spectrum Disorder along with other disabilities that have played an integral role in their creative work. Gabrielle graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights from Columbia University in the City of New York. At Columbia, Gabrielle also studied Jazz Vocal Performance in the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program, through which they received individual instruction from Christine Correa and participated in the Latin Jazz Ensemble directed by Vince Cherico and Leo Traversa. Before transferring to Columbia University, Gabrielle graduated with their Associate of Arts from Montgomery College, where they studied and conducted research under the guidance of Dawn Avery. Gabrielle released their debut album, “Without a Label” in 2018, and a single titled “Deepest Roots” in 2019, as well as being a featured artist on several other musician’s projects. Among other songwriting awards, Gabrielle most recently won the Silver Award in the Freedom Category of the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, for “We Rise,” which was a collaboration with other young songwriters committed to combating climate change. Gabrielle believes that music can change hearts and minds, so they write and sing songs that promote progress and acceptance… whether it’s a song about their experiences as a disabled student, a song directly written about youth-led activism, or a typical-seeming love song that happens to normalize queer relationships. They have performed these songs at educational events and political rallies, such as a rally at the U.S. Department of Education demanding that all public schools provide free menstrual products restrooms, Montgomery College’s Annual Holocaust Commemoration, and a Zero Hour / Fridays for Future rally highlighting the impacts of environmental racism. In addition to their musical mobilization, Gabrielle is a community organizer and educator. In early 2018, Gabrielle founded DC Teens Action, a 501c3 fiscally sponsored organization which helps make activism accessible to students with disabilities, financial need, and other barriers to access. They were appointed to the Human Rights Commission of the City of Rockville at 18 years old, and were just appointed in December 2021 to the Montgomery County Committee Against Hate/Violence. Gabrielle has also worked as a Teaching Artist at Carpe Diem Arts and The Civic Circle, as a Music Teacher at Beth Chai Sunday School, and as a Camp Counselor at Sitar Arts Center.