Born in Oxford, Gibbons was born into a musical family where his father—William Gibbons—was a wait, his brothers—Edward, Ellis and Ferdinand—were musicians and Orlando being expected to follow the musical tradition. It is not known under whom he studied, although it may have been with his father, an older brother or Byrd as he was the most famous composer of the time. Irrespective of his education, he was musically proficient enough to be appointed an unsalaried member of the Chapel Royal in May 1603 and a full-fledged gentleman of the Chapel Royal as junior organist by 1605. By 1606 he had graduated from King's College, Cambridge with a Bachelor of Music degree.