WCU’s Wells School of Music Piano Student Competed at Prestigious Chopin Competition
from Jan. 4 – 12
WCU’s Wells School of Music student Alyssa Gabrilovich ‘28 - a first-year student studying Piano Performance - was one of only 23 students invited to recently compete in the prestigious 11th National Chopin Piano Competition from January 4 – 12, 2025, in Miami, Florida. The competition was held at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.
The professional competition occurs every five years and is directly connected to one of the biggest international piano competitions – the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland. With first-prize earnings of $100,000, participants are carefully selected through a competitive video audition process.
Assistant Professor of Piano Dr. Igor Resnianski is Gabrilovich’s longtime teacher. Resnianski says, “The Wells School of Music is excited to congratulate Alyssa for her participation in this highly selective competition, which in and of itself is an achievement. Alyssa is the first student at West Chester University to participate in the Chopin competition, and we are very proud of her hard work and commitment to her craft. We know she has a bright future ahead of her.”
Gabrilovich, who is 19 years old, has studied with Resnianski since she was 7 years old. She says, “I did not expect to be accepted into this competition. I was so surprised and so happy to be invited. Being amongst so many other gifted pianists is very motivating.”
Gabrilovich adds, “Chopin is my favorite composer. I love the variety in his music and the beautiful melodies. Professor Resnianski is excellent at helping me to understand his music and how to approach and practice each piece.”
Gabrilovich made her stage debut at the age of 9 as a soloist with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with orchestras in the Philadelphia area, the New Orleans Civic Symphony, and has received awards in over 40 youth competitions including the Chicago International Music Competition, Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition, New Orleans Piano Institute Competitions, and the WCUPA National Piano Competition. Gabrilovich also won the Pennsylvania State MTNA Competitions for many years and the Eastern Division MTNA in 2020. She was a finalist in the Philadelphia Orchestra Greenfield Competition (2020), Yamaha USASU Young Artists International Senior Piano Competition (2023), and a quarter-finalist in the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition (2023). Gabrilovich was a recipient of the Chopin Foundation of the US scholarship in 2020-2022 and YoungArts winner in 2023. She performed live at the WRTI-FM studios in Philadelphia and was featured in NPR’s From the Top program in 2020 and 2023.
Renowned as one of the premiere piano competitions in the world, the National Chopin Piano Competition of the United States is widely recognized as a pivotal stepping stone towards a thriving career in piano performance. It is designed to offer performance opportunities and financial support to young American pianists and to enable the Prize Winners to take part in the 19th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Through competition prizes, scholarships, and performance opportunities, the organization has touched the lives of thousands of young artists. Across five decades, over 500 young pianists have applied and more than 200 of America’s best pianists from 30 states were selected to compete in Miami during the first ten editions of the National Chopin Piano Competition. Since the first Competition in 1975, held in collaboration with the University of Miami, five American pianists have won top prizes in Warsaw.