Gabriela Montero

Gabriela Montero (born May 10, 1970) is a Venezuelan pianist, known both for her improvisations of musical pieces on themes suggested by her audience and other sources, as well as for her performances of a standard classical repertoire. Having started her artistic career in the El Sistema music education program in Venezuela, Montero later studied at the Royal Academy of Music in the U.K. She has performed in major concert halls in the U.S. and Europe with international orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Among other recognition, Montero has been honored with two Grammy Awards and two ECHO Prizes in Germany.