Avery’s journey to classical music also began in her toddlerhood, when she began ballet classes. This may seem like an unexpected gateway to classical music, but it was. Ballet is where Avery began her affinity for Chopin and Tchaikovsky.
While the Gaglianos appreciate music, neither parent is a musician. They are the definition of supportive parents who fanned the flames of their child’s passions. For example, when Avery was five, her mother, Ying, noticed that Avery was drawn to the family’s upright piano. Ying had been taking adult piano lessons, but she sacrificed them for her daughter’s budding talent.
Her parents, Drew and Ying, also provided Avery with violin lessons from age eight to fourteen, which may be where Avery developed her sympathy for the string performers she accompanies from the bench of her Steinway.
Avery’s family also saw her through an unexpected ordeal. At this point, Avery’s musical gift had been widely recognized, she had her eye on Curtis Institute of Music, and she was traveling the globe to participate in competitions. Unfortunately, her public school in Washington D.C. did not accept these competitions as reasons for excused absences. She was categorized as a truant, a story picked up by the press.
Washington Post contributor Petual Dvorak writes, “So one day they’re sending her parents letters saying she’s a truancy case. Another day they’re honoring her with a full-throated council resolution — the gold-sealed proclamation, cheers, the podium, the whole enchilada.”
Avery’s parents took action: They homeschooled, and then they relocated. (Parents of elite athletes may be able to relate.) Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly (and Sisterly) Love, welcomed the Gaglianos with open arms. They found a new home, new jobs, and a new school where young Avery could thrive: Curtis Institute of Music.
“Curtis helped change the way I listen to music,” shares Avery. “There’s a saying that ‘a good pianist seeks to imitate the string player, and a good string player strives to play like a pianist’”
Avery describes her education at Curtis as “life-changing.” In addition to learning from inspirational teachers (Gary Graffman, Jonathan Biss, and Robert McDonald), she was in an environment surrounded by extremely talented and driven peers, which fueled her growth and passion for music.
Additionally, there was a strong culture of playing chamber music, and Avery had the opportunity to play an abundance of chamber music. Through that experience, her understanding of ensemble-playing & collective music-making (informed by her former experience on violin) was greatly elevated.
There’s no imposter syndrome to be found in Avery.
Extended Bio
Washington, D.C. native Avery Gagliano, 23, made her first of three appearances on NPR’s “From the Top” at age 10 and began touring the world with the Lang Lang International Music Foundation’s Young Scholars Program shortly after. In 2020 she claimed First Prize of the 2020 National Chopin Piano Competition. Avery recently finished her bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music and enjoys pop music and cooking in her free time.
Having made her debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of just 20, 22-year-old pianist Avery Gagliano brings sincerity, emotional depth, and exquisite voicing, alongside a thoughtful and intriguing spirit to the stage. Avery came to international acclaim as the First Prize and Best Concerto Prize winner of the 2020 National Chopin Piano Competition, and as the only American semifinalist at the 18th International Chopin Competition in 2021.
Recent and forthcoming highlights of the 2023/24 season include her debut with the Rochester Symphony and Galveston Symphony, as well as recitals at the Luxembourg Philharmonie, Ehrbar Saal (Vienna), La Grange au Lac (Évian), Paderewski Festival, Miami International Piano Festival, and Sanibel Music Festival. With a particular passion for collaborating with other artists, Avery is also a dedicated chamber musician, regularly sharing the stage with ensembles such as the Balourdet Quartet and the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players in New York.
At the invitation of Sir András Schiff, Avery appeared in recitals throughout Europe in the 2022/23 season as part of his Building Bridges series. She has also, in recent seasons, appeared on renowned concert stages and festivals including the Verbier Festival, Gilmore Festival, Bravo!Vail Festival, Ravinia Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Carnegie Hall, Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, Louis Vuitton Foundation, Salle Cortot, and WQXR Greene Space.
Avery’s debut album, Reflections, was released on the Steinway & Sons label in 2021, with a program at the heart of her music making, from Chopin to Haydn, Schumann, and Adès.
Alongside her successes at the two most highly regarded Chopin competitions, Avery also received the Audience Prize at the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and was the winner of the Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition, MostArts Festival Piano Competition, and 2019 National YoungArts Competition. She is an alumna of the Verbier Festival & Academy, Gstaad Piano Academy, Lieven Piano Foundation, the Lang Lang International Music Foundation’s Young Scholars Program, a four-year holder of the US Chopin Foundation Scholarship, and has made several appearances on Philadelphia’s WRTI classical radio and National Public Radio’s (NPR) From The Top.
Avery currently studies at the Curtis Institute of Music with Robert McDonald. She has also studied with Gary Graffman and Jonathan Biss while at Curtis.