Gabriel Prokofiev
Gabriel Prokofiev was born in London to a Russian father and English mother, he studied composition at both Birmingham and York universities. In 1998 he won a composers residency in Seattle at the Bourges International concours of Electroacoustic music. His first musical experiences were writing pop-songs and playing in a band aged 10, and for the last eight years he has been producing Dance, Electro & Hip-hop music under a variety of different guises. In 2003 he returned to his classical roots composing a critically acclaimed String Quartet for the Elysian Quartet ("Stunning" DJ Magazine, "defies comparison" Daily Telegraph) which he released on his own independent label Nonclassical, complete with Remixes of the original Quartet. What gives his contemporary classical writing its unique edge is Gabriel’s background in dance music combined with his classical roots.
Compositions have also included a widely acclaimed 2nd String Quartet for The Elysians, a collection of piano pieces for Russian virtuoso Pianist GeNIA, as well as the groundbreaking Concerto for Turntables & Orchestra. This concerto premiered by DJ Yoda & the Heritage Orchestra at The Scala in Kings Cross has recently performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Beni G to a packed Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
Other recent works include a piece for percussionist Joby Burgess using two Fanta Bottles and electronics ; a recently premiered piece for solo violin & solo dancer for the Rambert Dance Company. Gabriel also recently made and his conducting debut with his concerto for 'dancing' Viola, String Orchestra, Trombones & Percussion, premiered in the Paradiso, Amsterdam this June.
Gabriel also hosts a monthly 'classical' club-night: NONCLASSICAL, at The Macbeth, Hoxton, where he is the resident DJ