Wicker Gabriel (1 September 1880, Vilna – 11 October 1940, Liepāja) – conductor, cellist, composer, music educator, and theorist.

Gabriel Wicker studied at the conservatories of Warsaw (graduating from the piano class in 1906) and Saint Petersburg (1911, cello class under Schlesinger). From 1906, he conducted symphonic concerts in St Petersburg. From 1913, he resided in Liepāja, where he founded Music Courses modelled after the curriculum of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He directed the courses for 27 years, until the end of his life. Each year, up to 60 students of various nationalities were enrolled. Subjects taught included voice, piano, violin, cello, and composition. Among his pupils were N. Graudan, A. Teichmanis, S. Rashina, J. Heller, and others.

Wicker also established a symphony orchestra affiliated with the school, which performed a classical repertoire including Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, Mozart’s Symphony in G minor, Sibelius’s Valse triste, among others. The orchestra gave at least four public concerts annually, often featuring soloists, including L. Rubinstein. A choir was also formed as part of the Music Courses.

The popularity of the courses was evidenced by a tenth-anniversary concert featuring the orchestra, choir, and former students, held in a packed auditorium. In 1935, a jubilee concert celebrating Wicker’s 35 years of pedagogical activity also took place in a full house (500 seats) at the Petrograd Hotel.

In the 1930s, concerts by the school included performances of Wicker’s own miniatures, including Seven Jewish Folk Songs and Dances. In 1923, under the auspices of the Kadima Society, he established a Jewish musical-dramatic society. In 1937, he published a book on music theory in Latvian and German (title unknown). In 1940, he was appointed chairman of the Liepāja branch of the Latvian SSR Music Society and director of the Liepāja Philharmonic.

Sources: Segodnya, 1935, No. 41.