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Newsday reporter
Singer and actor Raguel Gabriel continues to persevere with his dream to shine on stage. This US, Trinidad and Tobago-based artist is at ease with both prose and song, which has led him to take on classic leading roles in several genres, including opera, Shakespeare and musical theatre.
His quest for success and passion to perform have seen him among the finalists in a vocal competition in Chicago. He was recruited by a composer, who was impressed with his performance, to sing and perform the romantic lead in The Gift, scheduled to open in December. He has also been successful in other music competitions this year in the USA.
A graduate of NYC’s Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Gabriel has been compared to the likes of Lupita Nyong’o – an observation, he explained, made by playwright and producer Dr Cynthia Stephens (Sacred Ground Productions) for his lead role in the musical, The Princess and Golden Yam, on Broadway, Green Room 42 in New York City (2018). The story of this musical takes place in Africa and Nyong’o played the character who is the antagonist of the princess, according to a press release.
“This was way before (Nyong’o) went to Yale to study and all that, and she was still trying to find her way,” Gabriel said in an interview with Black Collar Creative.
“Dr Stephens remains one of my greatest mentors who applauds my work ethic. She even told me over dinner that my driving and the way I carried myself during rehearsals reminded her of Lupita. She has every confidence in me that one day I will excel at that level,” he said in a release from Black Collar Creative.
In early 2020, Gabriel was pursuing several theater auditions that were lined up for him in New York, but the Covid19 pandemic brought about the need to wait or roll. This was where mental and spiritual strength came to his rescue, along with the dedication and ingenuity to continue practicing his craft, the release said.
This resulted in Gabriel’s live virtual concert entitled Schwanengesang, which was organized under RTG Productions (Gabriel’s company) in June 2021. A solo recital tour, it featured the work of Austrian composer Franz Schubert, in collaboration with associate Dr Jeffrey Middleton (Westbeth NYC).
“I’ve seen a lot of things that seemed impossible come true,” Gabriel said. “They only helped me with crazy faith, hard work and belief in what I can do. I stay on track as I balance living in the moment and staying obsessively focused on my passions and dreams.”
When Broadway’s doors reopened in September 2021, Gabriel pursued his career with an increased urgency and determination to succeed.
After Schwanengesang, Stephens invited Gabriel to reprise his role as Amadou for repeat performances of The Princess and The Golden Yam in October 2021 for the City of Hudson, NY, in association with the Hudson Tourist Board.
He continued to do several auditions and vocal competitions in early 2022, including the Downers Grove, Illinois-based Sinfonietta Bel Canto, where he placed second in the orchestra’s vocal competition and performed in its final concert in June. He also auditioned for the CS Music Vocal Competition in Chicago, in which he was selected as one of six finalists out of 1,300 singers from across the country performing Sondheim’s Losing My Mind.
“After the finale, a man came up to me, visibly moved, saying he’d never heard Losing My Mind sung that way. He turned out to be composer Paul Herman, who is based in Chicago.
“On the spot, he invited me to sing for him the next day in his studio, as my voice was suitable for an operetta he had written. He was waiting for the right person to sing and play the romantic lead. Then I was graded for Gifts. The plan is to host this Christmas and next year, starting in Indiana, Chicago and eventually New York.”
Gabriel was also awarded third place in the world in the category of Tenor Soloists 23 years and older at the 2022 Marker and Pioneer International Music Competition (MAP) in Los Angeles, California. MAP is an organization focused on promoting and organizing international cultural exchanges and educational and musical projects.
The competition judging panel included Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano and Metropolitan Opera star Victoria Livengood; Christopher Russell MM, chair of music at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California and conductor of the APU Orchestra; and Lin Yousheng, renowned conductor at the Shanghai Opera House/professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Gabriel advised local performers looking to branch out that they should not take any opportunity for granted and carefully pursue growth at every turn.
“I already had an insane work ethic back home in Trinidad, but I had to multiply that tenfold when I got to the US,” he warned. “You will have to be crazy and have reasons embedded in your heart that will make you face the rigors. The world of performing arts is brutally competitive. So embrace the hard work.”
During his ten-year career, the journey has been something of a marathon for Gabriel, but his dedication to the stage is absolute. Most of all, he credits the investment he has made in his artistic and performing arts training, as well as his daily regimen, both physically and vocally, to maintain his fitness and performance health. His focus remains on what’s to come and the importance of the work ahead, rather than his final assessment.
“My joy is doing. I am deeply motivated by the desire to continue to grow and be better than last time as I move towards the goals I have set for myself in the future.”
