25th Heinz Awards Honor leading pianist and composer Gabriela Lena Frank for breaking cultural, gender and disability barriers in classical music. Through her academy, Dr. Frank is mentoring aspiring composers from diverse backgrounds and inspiring them to prioritize giving back to their communities while leading eco-conscious lives.

Heinz Family Foundation

The Heinz Family Foundation has named leading pianist and composer Gabriela Lena Frank, D.M.A. as a recipient of the prestigious 25th Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities category. Dr. Frank is honored for creating brilliant compositions that weave the colors, sounds and mythology of Latin America into classical constructs, and for breaking cultural and gender barriers in classical music composition. She is also recognized for establishing the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, which provides professional mentorship to emerging composers from all music backgrounds. As part of the accolade, Dr. Frank will receive an unrestricted cash award of $250,000.

Gabriela Lena Frank

Born with near profound hearing loss in Berkeley, California, to a mother of mixed Peruvian-indio/Chinese ancestry and a father of Lithuanian/Jewish descent, Dr. Frank writes compositions that often reflect her personal studies of Latin American culture. In 2017, Dr. Frank founded the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music at her home and farm in the rural mountains of Mendocino County, California. Dr. Frank accepts aspiring composers with diverse backgrounds from across the globe.

Dr. Frank’s success is notable in a field primarily dominated for centuries by able-bodied white men. Reflecting on breaking barriers for women of color and the disabled, she recalls an experience she had as a college freshman. “On my first day, a distinguished member of the piano faculty—who was white—abruptly entered my practice room and yelled at me for daring to sully the keys with my fingers,” says Frank. “He assumed I was a member of the cleaning staff because I am Latina. He grudgingly apologized, but that experience affected me deeply. I thought, ‘And would it be so bad if I were indeed a cleaning lady, enchanted by the instrument?’”

She adds, “As a person of color, when you enter classical music, you need great fortitude. You may love European culture and European music, but you eventually realize that, with a few exceptions, those you are studying and working with are not necessarily going to love your own culture and your own music back. Your relationship to the music conservatory is not necessarily one built on cultural reciprocity. And it’s tragic that this relationship has largely changed very little. When I guest at conservatories today, I feel like I’m stepping into a time machine. You still hear the same kinds of repertoire and see the same kinds of competitions posted on the bulletin boards. The teacher/student/administrator demographic has evolved slightly, but not enough, because classical music has always largely trained musicians for the 1800s. It is one of the reasons why I started the academy, and why I pour so much into mentorship.”

Dr. Frank mentors young composers at the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music and invests in showing these musicians that a meaningful artistic life is connected to community.

At the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, young composers receive a rich study and mentorship experience as part of their residency, but during their stay, Dr. Frank also invests deeply in showing these dedicated musicians that a deeper, more meaningful artistic life is one that is connected to community. “I think in our field, we’ve traditionally held a somewhat disdainful view of community work, that it was the work of musicians who weren’t as good, and that’s the proper arena for them,” says Dr. Frank. “Or the community engagement wing of a professional orchestra is not taken as seriously as the wing that determines the mainstage concerts. That’s a terrible viewpoint, and it sets musicians up to be disconnected from the larger world to the great detriment of us all. We have so many gifts to share. Why confine us? And so, as I’ve stepped into the second half of my life, I’ve resolved to be someone who encourages change, and to do so while retaining my humor and joy through it all. It is the best possible work.” 

GABRIELA LENA FRANK

Currently serving as Composer-in-Residence with the storied Philadelphia Orchestra and included in The Washington Post's list of the 35 most significant women composers in history, identity has always been at the center of composer/pianist Gabriela Lena Frank's music. Born in Berkeley, California (September, 1972), to a mother of mixed Peruvian/Chinese ancestry and a father of Lithuanian/Jewish descent, Gabriela explores her multicultural American heritage through her compositions. In 2017, Gabriela founded the award-winning Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, a non-profit training institution held on her two rural properties in Boonville, CA for emerging composers from a vast array of demographics and aesthetics. 

Heinz Awards

Established by Teresa Heinz in 1993 to honor the memory of her late husband, U.S. Senator John Heinz, the Heinz Awards celebrates the accomplishments and spirit of the Senator by recognizing the extraordinary achievements of individuals in the areas of greatest importance to him. The awards, administered by the Heinz Family Foundation, recognize individuals for their contributions in the areas of Arts and Humanities; Environment; Human Condition; Public Policy; and Technology, the Economy and Employment. Nominations are submitted by invited experts, who serve anonymously, and are reviewed by jurors appointed by the Heinz Family Foundation. The jurors make recommendations to the Board of Directors, which subsequently selects the Award recipients.

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