Gabriela Montero
Piano Lab
Refine your craft as a career concert pianist with a personalized, mentorship-driven Artist Diploma.
Why choose Piano Lab?
Drawing upon three decades at the forefront of the concert world, Gabriela’s guidance for each Piano Lab Fellow is individually curated and deeply personal, taking each participant on a holistic journey.
Conceived as a compliment to other training programs and education, the Piano Lab gives Fellows rare insight into the life, career challenges, and decision-making journey of a leading concert soloist.
Creative learing space
A lab for nine exceptional pianists to experience an individual and collective journey toward a professional life in music
One-on-one lessons
Combines remote and in-person immersive training individually tailored to each Fellow’s needs
360° artist development
The 12-month program balances performative training with holistic artist development led by OAcademy
About Gabriela Montero
“Montero’s playing has everything: crackling rhythmic brio, subtle shadings, steely power in climactic moments, soulful lyricism in the ruminative passages, and, best of all, unsentimental expressivity.”
The internationally acclaimed Venezuelan pianist, composer, and improviser Gabriela Montero embodies the age-old spirit of the socially engaged virtuoso-composer and improviser. A Grammy-nominee and Latin Grammy winner as both pianist and composer, Gabriela Montero is a Chopin Competition Laureate and the first artist to be appointed Honorary Consul of Amnesty International in recognition of her musically creative work in the field of human rights. She regularly appears on the world’s most celebrated stages – from the Vienna Konzerthaus to Wigmore Hall, from the Hollywood Bowl to Carnegie Hall – and plays with the world’s most distinguished orchestras and conductors. Her chamber partners include Martha Argerich, Martin Fröst, Gautier Capuçon, and – at the 2009 inauguration of US President Barak Obama – Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill, and Yo-Yo Ma.
Photo Credits: John Smith
2024 Piano Fellows
Anastasiya Magamedova began playing piano at age 5 in Tajikistan and is a graduate of the Juilliard School. She has performed in the Kammermusik Saal of the Berlin Philharmonic, Theatre of Digital Arts of Dubai, the Opera and Ballet State Theater of Tajikistan, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Concert Hall, and Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin.
Élisabeth enjoys an imaginative life as a soloist, chamber musician & artistic collaborator. Recent highlights: first CD (ATMA Classique); 3rd prize - 2023 Rio Piano Festival; US concerto debut (Toledo Symphony & Trudel); 2022 Choquette-Symcox Award; 2021 Wigmore Hall debut. Her love for literature, composition & Tai Chi nurtures her music-making.
Argentinian-born Gastón Frydman studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and performed in important halls and festivals on 4 continents. As a soloist, he appeared with the most important orchestras of the continent. His performances received superlative reviews from the critics and heart-felt welcoming from the audiences.
Ido Ramot is a sought-after Soloist and Chamber musician. Ido is a laureate of many international competitions and awards and performs regularly in some of Europe's most prestigious halls and festivals. Ido is extremely dedicated to bringing his love of improvisation to the stage and it's now an inseparable part of his artistic mission.
She studied with Zhao Yi Dan and Gabriel Kwok. She studied at CIM with Antonio Pompa-Baldi, and she also did chamber music with Sharon Robinson and Ilya Kaler. Now she is pursing master’s degree with Jon Kimura Parker at Rice. She made her debut as a soloist at age 15 with Orchestra Napolinova in Italy. She was invited to PianoFest in the Hamptons.
Lithuanian-born pianist Kasparas Mikužis at age 21 has already given solo performances on stages of Wigmore and Concertgebouw halls. He has released his debut CD, and his performances were televised worldwide. For representing Lithuania on an international stage Kasparas was awarded a letter of gratitude by the president of Lithuania.
Katharina Hack (b. 1994, Cologne), described by the press as an "exceptional phenomenon with a powerful personality," performs in Europe and the US on stages such as the Cologne Philharmonie, Gasteig Munich, and Elbphilharmonie. She is a soloist and forms a duo with the cellist Anouchka Hack. Katharina has a passion for improvisation.
Named in “Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 Classical Musicians” by Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC), Victoria has toured with orchestras including Hong Kong Symphonia, Canadian Sinfonietta, New Brunswick Symphony, and Shenzhen Symphony. A graduate from Juilliard, she has been broadcasted on CBC, Radio Television Hong Kong, and Polskie (Polish) Radio.
Born 1999, Viviana-Zarah is one of the most promising pianists of her time. She has performed on international stages such as Konzerthaus Berlin, Philharmonie im Gasteig, Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall and recently played her sold out debut concert with Shostakovich's 1st Piano Concerto in Goldener Saal, Musikverein in Vienna.
OAcademy Artist Diploma
Tailored to the busy lives of rising musicians on the go, The OAcademy Artist Diploma is a fast-track professional certificate that prepares rising artists for the complex demands of an evolving performance industry. In addition to the Gabriela Montero Piano Lab’s core mentorship elements, Fellows benefit from enhanced resources offered through OAcademy, including networking opportunities, personal growth modules, entrepreneurship classes, and more.
All Fellows who complete core modules and projects of the Lab are awarded an Artist Diploma.
The experience
Fellows meet in Europe (Geneva) and the United States (Maryland), with all local expenses covered
Up to 12 hours of individual lessons (online or in-person) with Gabriela Montero
A chance to visit Gabriela Montero’s physical studio in Europe and the United States for 1:1 in-person training
Exclusive online access to Gabriela’s practice studio on a discretionary basis, shadowing the creative process of a professional artist
Regular access to observe Gabriela’s sessions with Lab peers in a masterclass setting
Whenever possible and by arrangement - an invitation to attend Gabriela Montero’s performances
Open invitation to audit classes of OAcademy Music Conservatory and The Global Leaders Institute for Arts Innovation
Who should apply
The Gabriela Montero Piano Lab is open to pianists worldwide of 16 years old and above. Pianists must exhibit solid professional potential, but no degree is required to apply.
Remember, Gabriela Montero is a creative artist whose expertise will benefit imaginative, creative, and dynamic young musicians. The audition process will diligently select the most suitable 9 “matches,” those applicants most likely to benefit from the GMPL’s creative ethos.