Refine artistic identity, deepen musical craft, and navigate the realities of a modern concert career through a mentorship-driven Artist Diploma.
Open to exceptional rising career pianists worldwide.
Why join the Piano Lab?
A creative learning environment
The Lab is designed for pianists navigating the transition into professional musical life.
Drawing on more than three decades at the forefront of the international concert field, Gabriela Montero offers deeply personalized mentorship shaped around each Fellow’s artistic identity, ambitions, strengths, and challenges.
The Lab is not a conservatory. It is a creative and professional space for exploration, refinement, and long-term artistic growth, conceived as a rare complement to formal training, not a replacement for it.
Personalized mentorship
A highly individualized experience designed around the artistic and professional development of each Fellow.
One-on-one instruction
Remote and in-person training tailored to each pianist’s evolving needs, goals, and repertoire.
Artistic and professional growth
A twelve-month experience balancing advanced musical work with broader artistic development through OAcademy.
About Gabriela Montero
The internationally acclaimed Venezuelan pianist, composer, and improviser Gabriela Montero embodies the tradition of the socially engaged virtuoso-composer.
A Grammy-nominated and Latin Grammy-winning artist, Chopin Competition Laureate, and the first artist appointed Honorary Consul of Amnesty International, she appears regularly at the world’s leading venues — from the Vienna Konzerthaus and Wigmore Hall to Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl — with collaborators including Martha Argerich, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gautier Capuçon, Martin Fröst, and Anthony McGill.
Photo Credits: John Smith
“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 New York Times
The experience
In-person residencies
Immersive residencies with Gabriela Montero in Europe and the United States, with local expenses covered.
Individual lessons
Up to twelve hours of private mentorship and instruction, digital-first or in person.
Studio visits
Optional mini-residencies at Gabriela Montero’s working studios in Europe and the United States.
Creative process access
Selective technology-enabled access to Gabriela’s practice studio, offering insight into the working life of a professional artist.
Masterclasses and peer observation
Regular opportunities to observe sessions with other Fellows in a collaborative setting.
Performance invitations
Whenever feasible, invitations to attend Gabriela Montero performances and related artistic events.
Expanded learning access
Open invitation to audit selected offerings from OAcademy Music Conservatory and the Global Leaders Institute for Arts Innovation.
Who should apply?
The Lab is open to exceptional rising career pianists worldwide. No formal degree is required — strong artistic and professional potential is what matters.
As an artist whose work spans interpretation, improvisation, composition, and public engagement, Gabriela Montero is especially well suited to imaginative, curious, and creatively ambitious musicians.
The selection process looks for technical excellence and genuine artistic alignment with the Lab’s mentorship philosophy.
“Finding my own way as a pianist feels more grounded with Gabriela’s guidance. Her artistic perspective is a real source of clarity, inspiration, and support.”
Katharina Hack, Piano Fellow 2024
Applications open for January 2027
Register for the opportunity to be invited to apply.