Sebastian Mateo Gobbels

Hailed from Ontario, Canada, aspiring eighteen year old Sebastian Gobbels has pursued his musical dreams since the age of seven. For the past three seasons Sebastian has performed as principal harp for the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra as well as the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra, and the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra. He was featured as a soloist to perform the Handel Harp Concerto in B Flat with the Metropolitan Winds of Toronto. In the summer of 2019 Sebastian was selected to be one of the 15 harpists worldwide to attend the Summerfest Harp Colony at the renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He also participated in the Young Artist Harp Seminar at Kenyon College in Ohio. Sebastian graduated with honours from Alexander MacKenzie High School having participated in the strings arts program for the duration of his studies. Upon graduation he was acknowledged as an Ontario Scholar as well as presented with the Music Award and the Claude V. Wright Bursary. In 2020, Sebastian was the recipient of three Gold Awards for Harp solos in the International Music Festival and Competition (CDN) and obtained First Prize in the Concerto for Harp and Orchestra. In early 2021 Sebastian was awarded First Place in the Elite International Musical Competition for his performance of the Houdy Sonata. Having obtained First Class Honours for his Royal Conservatory of Music ARCT Diploma Examination, Sebastian is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance at the Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Professor June Han. In the summer of 2021 Sebastian will enjoy his first season with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the Bowdoin Music Festival. Outside music, Sebastian enjoys working out and is an avid soccer player and a technology whiz. He also enjoys spending time with his parents and younger sister.

You can find Sebastian’s performance here.