About the Artist

Biography & interview.

My artistic journey, musical philosophy, and teaching approach - shared through a complete biography and interview.

I. Biography
Portrait of Gabriel Vergelin Soler with cello

Cellist · Multi-instrumentalist · Composer

A bit about me

I’m Gabriel Vergelin Soler, a cellist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer based in Bern, Switzerland.

I grew up in Argentina and started playing the cello at eight with Raul Venturini. Lessons were three hours away from home, so every week we made the long round trip. Before I was a teenager, I was already performing with the Cordoba Youth Symphony Orchestra.

At twenty-one I moved to Switzerland to continue my studies at the Bern University of the Arts (HKB), where I completed both my Bachelor’s and Master’s in Jazz Cello. My playing has been deeply shaped by working with Stephan Braun, Vincent Segal, Ernst Reijseger, Rushad Eggleston, and Martin Melendez.

Today I move between different worlds on stage. I perform solo using a loop station, layering bass lines, percussion, and melody live on the cello. I also play regularly with my bands: , , and - an Argentine folklore group based here in Switzerland. Additionally, I work as music director for theatre productions, writing and performing with both cello and piano.

Besides music, chess is a big passion of mine. I enjoy teaching it and playing competitively - I find that the discipline and strategic thinking it requires connect surprisingly well with music.

As a teacher, I give cello and ukulele lessons to students from six years old up to master level, in five languages: Spanish, German, French, English, and Catalan. I focus on building strong technique while helping each student find their own sound and play the music they truly love.

II. Interview FAQ
Which musician has influenced you the most?

Richard Bona. His story is humble, his playing is honest, and his music somehow manages to be complex and completely effortless at the same time.

What can you teach on your instrument better than any other teacher?

How to play chords, and fingerpicking techniques - slap, arpeggios, the kind of things most cello teachers don't go near.

How did you learn to play your instrument?

I was 6 or 7 when I decided I wanted to play an instrument. My mother started taking me to concerts. I told her I wanted to play violin. Then I heard a cello and changed my mind - the sound was deeper, more interesting, and I knew that was it. She was surprised. I think I was a little surprised too. But I didn't quit, and when I turned 8, she bought me a cello.

How do you approach writing a song or composing a piece?

It depends. Sometimes I start with a theme - write it out freely or in rhyme, then build the music around the words. Other times I find a chord progression, loop it until something appears, and write the melody from there. Or I start with a melody and work backwards - add the bass, the chords, the rhythm. There's no single way in.

What personal quality has helped you most when practising?

Losing the fear. Of trying difficult things, of putting down the sheet music, of picking up a completely different instrument. I listen to everything around me - always have. And having perfect pitch doesn't hurt.

What does your instrument have that others don't?

It can cover the bass, the harmony, the melody, and the rhythm - sometimes all at once. And the range is extreme, from very low to very high. Most instruments pick a lane. The cello doesn't have to.

What do you pay particular attention to when teaching?

What the student actually needs. That what they're learning feels useful - not just in music, but anywhere. I like having some structure, a routine - but always leaving space to play freely and enjoy it.

How do you structure your lessons?

15-25 min - technique. 20-25 min - songs. 10-15 min - free play.

How do you approach teaching children?

Through playing, through experiencing. Not through thinking. You let them imitate, discover, feel it - the same way they learn everything else at that age.

What has been your greatest experience as a musician so far?

I was talking with a friend when it hit me - I'd never seen Rushad Eggleston play live. He's a cellist from California, one of my absolute favourites. I looked him up and he was playing in Amsterdam the next day. I bought a ticket that same night, flew out, and arrived two hours before the show. After the concert I invited him to lunch and asked if he'd give me a lesson. He said yes.

What is the biggest stage you've played on?

The Orfeo de Cordoba - 10,000 people - with the Cordoba Youth Orchestra, accompanying the singer Jairo.

Which musician would you most like to play with?

Jacob Collier. He plays everything, and I think it would just be genuinely fun.

Which one record would you take to a desert island?

Skylife by Turtle Island. It gives me every emotion I know and I've never gotten tired of it. I'd need to sort out power and speakers - but I'd figure something out. And if not, there's always the birds, the sea, and whatever's playing in my head.

Which stage would you most like to play on?

Moods. The Montreux Jazz Festival. Or Cully Jazz.

What else matters in your life besides music?

Nature, chess, yoga, and reading.