Gabriel Herrera stands as a distinguished up-and-coming jazz trombonist in the NYC and Central Pennsylvania regions, proudly representing his hometown of State College, PA. Herrera has performed on world-renowned stages including festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Litchfield Jazz Festival, and Jazz à Vienne in addition to venues like Lincoln Center (Alice Tully Hall), Rockefeller Center (The Rainbow Room), ShapeShifter Lab, and Smalls Jazz Club. Garnering acclaim while still in high school, Herrera won jazz soloist awards from Essentially Ellington and WorldStrides. 

As a versatile musician, Herrera has performed, recorded, transcribed, arranged, and composed in diverse musical genres such as jazz, classical, fusion, and pop. Previous studio recordings include sessions with pop singer StevenCharles, fusion band Dark Sky Hustlers, and his own jazz quartet. Herrera’s performance experience includes a variety of ensembles such as the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, Nittany Valley Symphony, Centre Brass, Columbia Jazz Ensemble, Columbia University Orchestra, NYU All-Uni Big Band, Penn State Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Penn State Trombone Choir, and Zeropoint Big Band. Herrera also leads his own jazz quartet and big band.

Herrera has had the privilege of being in dialogue with jazz luminaries, sharing the stage with acclaimed musicians such as Emmet Cohen, David Gibson, Chris Washburne, Vardan Ovsepian, Terri Lyne Carrington, Corey Wallace, and Craig Taborn in addition to performing for or presenting compositions to Jon Faddis, Wycliffe Gordon, Jihye Lee, Ben Patterson, and Alex Iles in masterclass settings. 

Herrera holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Jazz Studies from Columbia University, where he studied with David Gibson and was the first jazz concentrator to win honors in the music department. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Trombone Performance at Penn State University with primary teacher Mark Lusk and is a teaching assistant in the jazz department.