Born in Spain in 1985, Luis Cabrera began playing the double bass at the age of 10. After completing his studies in Madrid, where he studied with professor Rafael de Frías and later with Karen Martirossian, he moved to London in 2002 to complete his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with professor Rinat Ibragimov. Luis then completed his postgraduate studies at the “Hans Eisler University” in Berlin with Janne Saksala.
After receiving numerous awards and scholarships, he became, at the age of 20, principal double bass of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, in Amsterdam in 2006. Since then, he has been invited to play as a guest principal double bass with numerous orchestras such as; Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English National Opera, Orchestre National de France, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Amsterdam Sinfonietta, among others, where he played under the direction of the most prominent conductors and soloists.
He has recently been appointed principal double bass at the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC). Luis has collaborated with formations of different styles, performing repertoire from baroque, classical to contemporary with ensembles such as Arcangelo, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, London Sinfonietta, BandArt, or the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Orchestra of Spain among others. Very active as a chamber music performer, soloist, and teacher, these commitments frequently take him to Portugal, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Argentina, Mexico, Greece, Peru, Colombia, Hong Kong, and, of course, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. where he has performed both solo and in small groups in venues such as Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall, LSO St Luke’s, Het Concertgebouw, De Doelen, Den Haag KonCon, and Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid, among others.
Luis joined the teaching staff of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2012 and has been a visiting professor and coach at various universities and youth orchestras, including CSKG in Madrid, CSMA in Zaragoza, Forum Musikae, JONC and JONDE. Since 2018, he is also a professor at the Rotterdam Conservatory (CODARTS), and since 2024 at the Conservatori del Liceu in Barcelona.
Luis has recorded with various chamber groups for labels such as EMI Classics, NAXOS, and Pentatone, and has collaborated with the prestigious BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists program in addition to recordings for the classical channel of the Netherlands NPO4 Avrotos. His album with the TRPTK label “Canto interno” received great reviews and mentions in much of the international music press including Grammophone, The Strad, or BBC classical music magazine among others. Since 2021, Luis has joined the online educational and performance platform String Virtuoso as a featured artist.
Luis plays a double bass made by Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi, c.1770, on loan from the collection of the Dutch Foundation of Musical Instruments (NMF).
