Gabriel Tapia was born in Panama. He has studied at the National Conservatory and in the Conservatorio Superior Municipal de Barcelona, Spain. He has attended seminars in France, Puerto Rico and Panama with guitar masters Abel Carlevaro, Alirio Díaz, Alfonso Moreno and Angel Gil Ordóñez. As soloist, he has given recitals throughout Panama and has performed in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Peru, Equador, Spain and England. With the Panama National Symphony Orchestra he was the soloist on five occasions and in Panama he recorded his first LP of classical guitar in 1979. He is a professor at the INAC since 1976. In the summer of 1978 he finished his thesis of degree in guitar, at the University of Panama. Gabriel Tapia was a participant at the 1st International Ten-String Guitar Festival held in July, 2005 in Licthfield, Connecticut.