Prizewinners Announced at 10th National Chopin Piano Competition
Clockwise from top left: Avery Gagliano, Evren Ozel, Parker Van Ostrand, Talon Smith, Chelsea Guo, Umi Garrett.
18-year old Avery Gagliano wins top prize of $100,000 and Steinway & Sons recording contract
The Chopin Foundation of the United States announced the prizewinners of the 10th National Chopin Piano Competition on Sunday, March 1 at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium. Following an inspirational week with the 25 contestants, the jury crowned 18-year old Avery Gagliano first prizewinner.
She receives the highest cash award of $100,000 for an American piano competition, a recording contract on the Steinway & Sons label, a solo concert at New York’s Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (June 16), plus many other appearances through a pre-scheduled concert tour that began this month in Sanibel and Sarasota, Florida. Ms. Gagliano is a student of the great piano pedagogue, Gary Graffman. In October 2020, she will compete at one of the top piano competitions globally, the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland.
PRIZEWINNERS
First Prize - $100,000
Second Prize - $30,000
Third Prize - $20,000
Tied Fourth Prize - 5,000 (each)
Sixth Prize - $5,000
SPECIAL PRIZES
Best Mazurka - $2,000
Evren Ozel
Best Polonaise - $2,000
Evren Ozel
Best Sonata - $2,000
Parker Van Ostrand
Best Concerto - $2,000
Avery Gagliano
OTHER AWARDS
First Prize - Avery Gagliano
Concert tour in the United States and abroad.
Studio recording on the Steinway & Sons record label.
First and Second Prizewinners - Avery Gagliano and Evren Ozel
Automatic admission to the XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in October 2020.
Third Prizewinner - Parker Van Ostrand
Automatic acceptance to the Preliminary Round of the XVIII International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, April 2020. Travel expenses covered by the Chopin Foundation.
Other Finalists - Umi Garrett, Chelsea Guo, Talon Smith
All-expense-paid trip to Warsaw, Poland, to attend the Preliminary Round for the XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition in September 2020.
NOTABLE HIGHLIGHTS
With over 80,000 live-stream cumulative views throughout the week, many in the music industry followed closely as this competition often marks the start of a successful artist’s career. Previously in 2015 at the last National Competition, Eric Lu was given first prize and later won gold at the Leeds International Piano Competition and fourth prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. He now holds a record deal with Warner Classics and a thriving concert career.
Now, first prizewinner Avery Gagliano embarks on an extensive concert tour to prestigious halls such as Salle Cortot in Paris and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York. Other tour stops include cities such as Chicago, Seattle, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and St. Petersburg. View the full schedule.
QUICK FACTS - AVERY GAGLIANO
Age: 18
Hometown: Washington, D.C./Philadelphia, PA
School/Teacher: Curtis Institute of Music/Gary Graffman & Jonathan Biss
Avery Gagliano studies piano at the Curtis Institute of Music, under the tutelage of Jonathan Biss and Gary Graffman. She is a four-year winner of the Chopin Foundation Scholarship (2016 – 2019) and a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation (2014 – 2016). At age nine, she made her orchestral debut with the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra at Strathmore Concert Hall and performed at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York. As a soloist, Avery has collaborated with orchestras such as the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tuscarawas Philharmonic, and the MostArts Festival Orchestra, and has garnished top prizes at the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition, Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition, and MostArts Festival piano competition. Her success has taken her to some of the most prestigious festivals and concert venues such as the Verbier Festival, Oxford Philomusica Piano Festival, Piano Texas International Academy & Festival, and Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall.