I started playing piano when I was 5 years old, studying with Jim Talley. I didn’t take it very seriously, and rarely practiced. In December of 2024, I attended one of the concerts of the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra, and I was astonished by it. I had never heard music like that before. I asked them if I could join on piano, next semester. There was no piano part, but they said I could try percussion, so I tried that, and absolutely loved it. I became very invested in classical music from that day on. I began learning violin and percussion, and have been playing them for about 3 years. I am currently in all three ensembles in the Marin Symphony Youth Programs. I also started studying piano with Jennifer Grant in the summer of 2025. I also took an interest in composition, and the Crescendo Youth Orchestra recently performed one of my pieces. I am was also awarded a performance at the Junior Bach Festival, and Marin Music Chest scholarship.
Watch Gabriel Mohr Ries perform Reverie, Op. 39, No. 21 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikosvky on the piano for the 2026 Virtuoso Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.