Leah
Gavilan
Pianist · Writer · New York
Listen to her play
Juilliard Pre-CollegeNational YoungArts WinnerSoloist — Carnegie HallNational Gold Medal — Scholastic Art & Writing
Recent recordings
Recordings, live with orchestra and in recital.
More on YouTube ↗
On the page
Her criticism, poetry, and memoir have won a National Gold Medal and two Gold Keys at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards — the program's highest honors.
Editor-in-Chief of Spectrum, her school's newspaper, and co-founder of In Her Words, a free creative-writing mentorship program for girls that now reaches seven states and three countries.
JCamp 2026 — the Asian American Journalists Association's national training camp, Minneapolis.
Leah Gavilan is a pianist and writer from New Jersey. She studies piano at the Juilliard Pre-College with Yoheved Kaplinsky, and has played as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, and the Cathedral of Havana.
She is a 2026 National YoungArts Winner in classical piano. She recorded Florence Price's Concerto in One Movement with orchestra, and her essay won the National Gold Medal at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. She also conducts and plays the cello.
She is a senior at the Dwight-Englewood School.
In the community
In Her Words
Free creative-writing and journalism mentorship for girls, run through public libraries — now reaching seven states and three countries.
In Tune Contigo
Connects Cuban and American student musicians through virtual collaborations, interviews with Cuban artists, and video exchanges.
Back To Bach
Outreach concerts and events in local schools promoting music education; built the Bergen County chapter.
DoReMi Project
Teaches piano and recruits new volunteers across New Jersey.
Ban Ki-moon Foundation
Inaugural youth advocate; raised $2,750 in one month for grassroots SDG initiatives in Africa.
On stage
Selected work
- National YoungArts Winner, Classical Piano (2026)
- Alternate Winner — Juilliard Pre-College Piano Concerto Competition (2025)
- First Prize & Cash Prize, Senior Division — Ensemble 212 Concerto Competition
- First Prize, Best Mozart — Great Composers (2025)
- Second Prize — Charleston International
- Second Prize — International Grande (no first awarded)
- Finalist — Lancaster Symphony Concerto Competition
- Soloist — Carnegie Hall, New York
- Soloist — Merkin Hall, New York
- Soloist — Cathedral of Havana
- Chamber finalist — Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center (2026)
- With Havana Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble 212, Lancaster Symphony, Bravura Philharmonic
- Florence Price — Concerto in One Movement, recorded with orchestra
- Pianist — HBO, “And Just Like That…”
- Tres Gracias Trio — Grand Prix & First Prizes: IMM Concorso, NYYVC, ENKOR, Bella Grande, CAIC
- Semi-finalist — Coltman Chamber Competition (1 of 10 internationally)
- Quarter-finalist — Fischoff
- President — Dwight-Englewood Chamber Music Society
- New York Youth Symphony — Conducting Program (youngest admitted)
- Valissima Institute for Young Female Conductors (1 of 8)
- Assistant Conductor — Harlem Quartet Workshop, Music Mountain
- Co-Principal Cello & Teaching Assistant — Arco Youth Orchestra
- National Gold Medal, Critical Essay — Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
- Gold Keys — Poetry and Memoir; two Honorable Mentions — Scholastic
- Editor-in-Chief — Spectrum
- Calliope staff — National Gold Crown, CSPA
- JCamp — AAJA national journalism training camp (2026)
- Kenyon Young Writers Workshop (2025, 2026)
- The School of The New York Times (2025)
- Research on the domestic Cold War accepted for publication — JRHS (2026)
- Juilliard Pre-College — piano, Yoheved Kaplinsky
- Kathy Condon Scholarship — Juilliard Pre-College
- Selected Fellow — Artemisia Foundation, Akademie at Juilliard (1 of 10)
- Dwight-Englewood School
- Rutgers Summer Scholar — U.S. History (2025)
- Festivals — Bowdoin, Kaufman Summerfest, Harlem Quartet Workshop, Aspen (accepted)
- Masterclasses — Voskresensky, Shannon, Solzhenitsyn, Bidini, Hung-Kuan Chen