Born in Tirgu Mures, Transylvania, Gabriela began studying when she was five years old. Her parents were engineers with no formal training in music; nonetheless they surrounded her very early with books, music, and art. Her mother especially, who had a great passion for classical music and grand opera, stimulated Gabriela's interest and helped guide her work. At age 8, under the urging of her teachers who recognized her great talent, Gabriela's parents arranged to move their home and jobs to Cluj-Napoca, where she could continue in the Performing Arts School and later attend the "Gheorge Dima" Academy of Music. There she graduated summa cum laude as the top conservatory student in Romania. Her studies with Harald Wagner were augmented by work with Nina Panieva and seminars in Hungary with Gyorgy Sebok and in East Germany with Peter Solymos and Rudolf Kehrer. Making her professional debut at age 16, she was a frequent performer with state philharmonic orchestras throughout Romania and on national television and radio. Her engagement and subsequent secret marriage to American conductor Daniel Spalding in 1985 was eventually given state approval the following year under pressure from the American government. The couple was later allowed to travel to the United States and they currently reside in New Jersey with their dog, Daisy, who often accompanies them on their many tours.