Gabriela Montero (born 1970, Caracas) is a Venezuelan pianist and composer whose live improvisations - built on themes called out by the audience - have made her one of the most distinctive voices in classical music today. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, she has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and dozens of other leading ensembles, and won a Latin Grammy for Best Classical Album in 2015. Beyond the concert hall she is a prominent human rights advocate, receiving the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent in 2024.
Montero performed at the 'Harmonies of Hope' concert at Piazza Pio XII in Vatican City, which included a private audience with Pope Leo XIV.
Montero served on the jury of the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and composed a new commissioned work performed by all competitors in the Preliminary Round.
Montero stepped in for Yuja Wang and made her Rome orchestral debut with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in three concerts conducted by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.
Montero performed at the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, where the prize was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Montero holds a season-long Artist-in-Residence position at London's Barbican Centre for 2025/26, including the UK premiere of her piano quintet Canaima and a debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
