By Christina Waters
Almost a year after her death on June 23, 2025, the estate of Santa Cruz musician, singer, and teacher Gabrielle Stocker released her Allaria Trust bequests.by
You need to sit down for this.
Turns out the well-loved music aficionado dedicated over $1 million each to New Music Works, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and the Santa Cruz Chamber Players. [$1,038,468 each from the Allaria Trust] The bequest also gave more than $500,000 to Ensemble Monterey Chamber Orchestra. Among them, these groups employ the expert abilities of most of the area’s elite musicians.
“Gabrielle Stocker was a longtime Festival subscriber and donor, a consistent, warm, and kind presence for many decades,” says Riley Nicholson, Executive Director of Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. “Her love of music was palpable, both in her enduring support of our music and in her own musicality as a recorder, crumhorn, and viola da gamba player. As a Renaissance, Baroque, and contemporary music enthusiast, her musical palate was broad. Not only was she an annual donor, but also was a commissioner––in 2012, she helped co-commission Hidden World of Girls: Stories for Orchestra, dedicating her gift in honor of her daughter Carol and granddaughters Erin, Ananda, and Adinda.
Nicholson notes that, “Gabrielle’s gift via the Allaria Trust comes at a time when institutional funding is volatile, Federal support has effectively ended, so, the timing of this gift makes it especially and robustly meaningful. Through this incredible gift and her lifetime of giving, Gabrielle Stocker’s legacy is now intertwined with the legacy of the Cabrillo Festival. The gift is not only meaningful today, but for decades to come.
We are also thrilled to be part of a cohort of like-minded organizations that Gabrielle’s legacy is impacting, including New Music Works and Santa Cruz Chamber Players. We are in awe of Gabrielle’s generosity and impact, both during her life and for many decades to come.”
Philip Collins, founder and Artistic Director of New Music Works worked with Gabrielle since her days in the 1970s with the Antiquarian Funks Consort. “It was in an early concert that Gabrielle played recorder in the premiere of Lou Harrison’s “Binary Variations on ‘Oh Sinner Man'” for 13 renaissance instruments. Then in 1979, she played crumhorn in NewMusicWorks’ first concert, “Music after Lunch,” for which she premiered my trio, “Invasion of the Krumhorns” and other trios. One couldn’t help but sense the goodness and kindness of Gabrielle. Even on first impression, her loving and joyful essence was embracing. And she had a keen and elastic sense of humor.” Collins calls this life-changing gift “nothing short of astounding. “That our angelic friend, would dedicate such a large part of her estate to the ongoing growth of local chamber and orchestral ensembles.
A gifted amateur on multiple instruments and a cherished singer of numerous choral groups, most recently the Santa Cruz Chorale, Gabrielle embraced the practice and idea of community music as a means to the very existence of our species. This is the biggest turning point that NMW has experienced,” he acknowledged.
The Santa Cruz Chamber Players have the honor and humble distinction of receiving an extraordinary act of generosity from Gabrielle Stocker,” admits SCCP Board President Penny Hanna. Gabrielle has left an indelible mark on our music community. As a former member of our board and supporter of our mission to bring live chamber music into our local community, she has entrusted us with a musical legacy built over her many years of playing, teaching, friendship, and shared music-making. On behalf of the Chamber Players, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to Gabrielle for this remarkable gift, and acknowledge her memory and love of music as part of that legacy which continues to bring joy to us all.”
Erica Horn, Music Director of Ensemble Monterey Chamber Orchestra is ecstatic about the Stocker gift. “I’m so happy for our fellow music organizations, and the others who benefited from Ms. Stocker’s tremendous generosity. What a legacy she leaves an entire region! We plan to start using it to begin an endowment campaign. We will use a little bit off the top to help the coming year’s budgeting, and the rest will go into a long-term earning vehicle that will generate enough annual income to cover some staff. We are one community after all!
It’s no exaggeration to say that the four music organizations who’ve just found out about this gift are still in shock. With institutional funding for the arts evaporating, Gabrielle Stocker’s generosity enables the directors and their cadre of professional musicians to dream big. Our composers, musicians, and audiences of the future are in her debt. I was lucky enough to know her and sing with her. She put her money where her heart was.
P.S. The far-sighted benefactor’s Allaria Trust also granted over $1 million to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, and over $500,000 to UCSC’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Thanks Gabrielle!
_____ Christina Waters
