Who We Are

Mission of The Gilmore

The Gilmore’s mission describes why it exists, its reason for being.

Nurture and celebrate a passion for piano music.

We do this by:

  • Identifying exceptional pianists through a non-competitive process and then providing significant support to enhance their careers
  • Presenting world-class music festivals featuring the finest international pianists
  • Providing an outstanding keyboard educational program
  • Supporting the creation of piano music

Vision of The Gilmore

The Gilmore’s vision describes the long-term outcome that it is working to create or contribute to:

Inspire and shape the future of piano artistry.

Core Values

The Gilmore’s core values guide all aspects of the organization; they represent both our unique character as an organization and the promise that we make to our audiences, artists, staff, partners, and the communities we serve.

Artistic Excellence
The Gilmore presents the highest level of pianism and musicianship in the field of classical, jazz, and other genres where the piano plays a central role. 

Inspiration and Innovation
The Gilmore inspires future generations of musicians and audiences. It fosters a creative environment for performers and composers to explore new directions in piano music. 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
The Gilmore is committed to developing a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging throughout the organization – including doing our part to dismantle racist systems.

Artist Recognition and Development
The Gilmore’s awards – Gilmore Artist, Gilmore Young Artist, Bell Jazz Artist, and Bell Young Jazz Artist – are designed to guide and contribute to the musical and career development of award recipients. The major awards are the largest of their kind in the world. They utilize a rigorous, non-competitive, and confidential approach to recognize and support pianists of exceptional artistry in the field of classical and jazz piano music.

 Education and Community Engagement
The Gilmore is committed to educating and engaging the community. This includes working with a multitude of community partners – listening and responding to them. We work toward becoming an organization that contributes to the community and is embraced by it as a valued partner.

Adaptability
The Gilmore works to ensure sustainability by anticipating, innovating, and evolving in order to maintain its relevance and competitive edge in a fast-changing musical landscape.

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