Poster Avery Gagliano, pianist
Avery Gagliano, pianist
Chris Lee
Performance Today®

Young Artist in Residence: Avery Gagliano

PT - Young Artist in Residence - Avery Gagliano - Parts 1 & 2

Washington D.C. native Avery Gagliano was five years old when she got her start on the piano. At age 10, she made her first appearance on National Public Radio’s From the Top. She entered the Curtis Institute of Music as a pre-college student at age 14.

Then, at age 18, Gagliano received the Audience Prize at the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition, was the winner of the Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition, the MostArts Festival Piano Competition, and the 2019 National YoungArts Competition.

At age 19, she reached international distinction as the First Prize and Best Concerto Prize winner of the 2020 National Chopin Piano Competition.

The next year, at age 20, Gagliano made her Carnegie Hall debut, released her first album, Reflections, on the Steinway & Sons label and was the only American semifinalist at the 18th International Chopin Competition.

Now, at age 22, Avery Gagliano can add Performance Today Young Artist in Residence to her mounting list of achievements. And even though Gagliano is extremely poised and seems to just collect accolades as the years go by, she’d tell you that her music playing is rooted in faith and gratefulness. When we spoke to Gagliano about what music means to her, she said what’s most important is to glorify God with the talent she’s been given and to continue to share that gift with the world.

So far, we’d say Gagliano is well on her way in that endeavor to share her gift with the world. In addition to Carnegie Hall, she’s appeared on such stages as Warsaw Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, Poland, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, France and the Luxembourg Philharmonie in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Her solo appearances with orchestras include performances with the Louisville Orchestra and the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Gagliano has also appeared at such festivals as the Verbier Festival in Verbier, Switzerland, the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois and the Gilmore Piano Festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Avery Gagliano holds a Bachelors degree in piano performance from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will begin graduate studies at the Kronberg Academy in Taunus, Germany under the guidance of her mentor Andras Schiff in the fall of 2024.

Most recently, Gagliano became a finalist of the 2025 American Pianists Awards. After a year of performances and adjudication, the winner will be named in April of 2025.


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