Originally from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Gabriela Lara began her violin studies at age 8 and later became a member of the Latin American Violin Academy, where she was a student of Jose Francisco del Castillo and Francisco Diaz. She was also a member of El Sistema in Venezuela and, as part of that ensemble, had the opportunity to make a 2014 Europe Tour with the Teresa Carreño Symphony Orchestra. She also performed with Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra as part of a 2016 European tour that included a concert at the Berliner Philharmonie and performed with Sir Simon Rattle as part of a tour that included concerts at the Salzburg Festival. Lara has performed with different orchestras around the country as a soloist and was recognized by the Legislative Council of Jimenez for her talent and skills in the artistic area in 2011. 

Since moving to the United States in 2017, Lara has been recognized as the winner of the 28th Sphinx Annual Competition as well as placing second place in the 25th edition, the winner of the 2021 Frank Preuss International Violin Competition. She was also the recipient of a 2022 Project Inclusion Fellowship from the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. In 2022, Lara received a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where she was a student of Almita Vamos and went on to receive a master’s degree in Suzuki Pedagogy from Roosevelt University in 2024.

In the 2022/23 Season, Lara was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago serving as Civic’s Concertmaster in 2023 to later become the first Chicago Symphony Orchestra Fellow. As a CSO Fellow, Lara performed on tour in North America and Europe with Riccardo Muti performing in prestigious halls like the Grand Hall of the Musikverein, the Paris Philharmonie, and the Teatro alla Scala. Lara holds that position with the CSO first in the 2022/23 Season and continued in the program during the 2023/24 Season before her appointment to the second violin section of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, Lara became the first CSO musician appointed by Klaus Mäkelä as a member of the first violin section.