Ken Gallwas — Winner

Congratulations Ken Gallwas @ken.gallwas for winning the DePaul National Concerto Competition for Young Performers. Ken performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, III. Rondo. Allegro-Presto with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago on March 23, 2026 . Ken studies with Mary Sauer and Jeffrey Panko at NMS and is in the House of Ravel (Level 4 - Undergraduate Expectations).

Kenneth Gallwas of Chicagoland, a senior at York Community High School, has quickly emerged on the piano scene as the 3rd Place winner of the 2024 MTNA National Competition (Senior Piano Duet) with his twin brother, Joseph. An avid 17-year-old concerto and solo pianist, he has performed with the Chicago Arts Orchestra, the TIMM Ensemble Orchestra in Todi, Italy, and the SEEN Festival Orchestra under Conner Gray Covington, and earned top prizes in the DuPage, IYACC, ISMTA, Sejong, Aloha International, and other national ano international competitions. Kenneth studies with Jeffrey Panko, Mary Sauer, and Sean Bennett at the New Music School in Chicago, and has performed in masterclasses with renowned pianists including Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Steven Osborne, and Joyce Yang. Also a cellist and varsity ice hockey player at York, he is a Level 4 USA Hockey referee, youth coach, sports counselor, and community musician performing at senior residences and churches in Elmhurst