We are proud to share the story of Gabriela "Gabby" Farinas — a young musician whose talent, perseverance, and love of music have taken her from Charlotte's stages to one of the best music schools in the country with a prestigious music scholarship.

Last week, Gabby was named the 2026 winner of the Kany García Scholarship from the Latin GRAMMY Foundation. This fall, she will continue her studies at Berklee College of Music .

A Journey Rooted in Music

Originally from Cuba, Gabby moved to the United States at age 13. Music became her bridge — helping her adjust to a new culture while keeping her connected to her own. That connection has never left her, and it comes through in every performance.

Gabby has been part of the Tosco Music community for years, performing at Tosco Music Parties at Knight Theater and at community outreach events across Charlotte. She is a two-time Tosco Music scholarship recipient, including a Jacob Titus Youth Music Scholarship — and watching her grow from a promising young musician into the artist she is today has been one of the great privileges of our work. Here she is making her debut solo performance at Tosco Music Party in 2023 — she since has performed several times with the TMP House Band on both clarinet and saxophone!

How the Community Came Together

When Gabby set her sights on the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Scholarship, she needed professional-quality audition videos — a significant barrier for many emerging artists. Tosco Music coordinated and funded the musicians for her audition recordings, including @Iliana Rose (piano), Johnny Vergara (percussion), David Vergato (bass), and @Gavin Marino (drums). Our partners at Middle C Jazz Music generously donated recording space and production support, making it possible for Gabby to put her best work forward. The result speaks for itself!

You can view both of Gabby's audition videos at Gabby's YouTube channel. Subscribe to follow her journey in music there and on Instagram.

A Village Behind Every Artist

Gabby's achievement is a testament to what happens when a community invests in its artists. The additional scholarship for audition support was made possible in part by a generous gift made in loving memory of Bobbi Whitfield. 

We are also deeply grateful to:

• The Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation for their leadership in funding music scholars
• Kany García for her investment in the next generation of Latin music creators
• Middle C Jazz for donating recording space and production support
• Tamara Titus & Lane Jacobs, and all Tosco Music donors whose generosity helped make Gabby's audition videos possible.

Congratulations, Gabby — and to your parents and ever-supportive champions! We cannot wait to see where your passion for music leads.

This is exactly why Tosco Music exists. If you'd like to help us support emerging artists through Tosco Music Scholarships, write scholarship in the memo when you make a donation here.