Marianna Gabbi

1928 - 2018

Retired music professor, Dr. Marianna Paone Gabbi, 90 of Las Cruces walked into eternal life on September 11, 2018. She was preceded in death by her parents Vincent and Mildred Paone of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born in South Philly in 1928 her love of music grew at an early age as did her talent for playing the violin and she studied at the Philadelphia Settlement Musical Academy and later received a scholarship to the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris where she studied violin with Yvonne Astruc and Georges Enesco. She lived and studied in cities throughout Europe and later returned to the U.S. to study conducting in Texas under Anshel Brusilow. Dr. Gabbi received a Masters in Music from Southern Methodist University and a Doctor of Musical Arts in violin and conducting from North Texas State University.

Marianna accepted a position at New Mexico State University in 1975 and very quickly demonstrated the vitality and ability to excite others into action that has enhanced the artistic quality of life in Southern New Mexico. In addition to the Las Cruces Symphony at NMSU subscription series, she instituted the Youth Concert Series, the Young Artist Competition and the Summer String Workshop. The Las Cruces Symphony Association and it's affiliate volunteer organization, the Las Cruces Symphony Guild were also her inspiration. She also brought many notable guest artists to play with the symphony which served to put Las Cruces on the cultural map.

She had been honored by numerous local and state awards: "Marianna Gabbi Day" (1982), as well as two Governor's Awards for Outstanding Women (1989) and Excellence in the Arts (1997) and many more.

Her talent and fame was international and in 1988 she received an official invitation from China to conduct two orchestras; the Beijing Central and Beijing Conservatory, reaching an enthusiastic audience of over 5,000. In January of 1996, Dr. Gabbi was guest conductor of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra in Bolshoi Hall, the first woman to conduct that symphony and again in 1998 when she conducted a concert of all-American composers. Dr. Gabbi is in the international Music Museum (London, England) and has performed in Italy, France, Germany, England, Switzerland and Mexico.

The 1998-99 season of the Las Cruces Symphony at NMSU was called, " The Maestra's Farewell," and featured some of the outstanding guest artists she had brought to Las Cruces through the years. Although retired, she continued to remain active as a violinist, conductor and clinician and in recent years, took up the baton again to conduct the New Horizons Symphony where she worked until her untimely passing. The New Horizons Symphony will dedicate their November 11th, 2018 concert at 3pm in the Atkinson Recital Hall to Dr. Gabbi and her accomplishments.

Dr. Gabbi is survived by her two brothers, Peter Paone and Jack Paone and their families of Philadelphia, a daughter, Paola Gabbi-Madrid, son in law, Michael Madrid and grandson, Matthew Madrid of Las Cruces.


Arrangements by Getz Funeral Home, corner of Solano and Bowman Ave. To sign our local online guestbook, please log onto www.GetzCares.com