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Gary Graffman, born October 14, 1928 in New York City, was an American pianist who began playing piano at age three. He enrolled in the Curtis Institute of Music at seven, studying under Isabelle Vengerova and made his professional debut in 1946 with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Graffman won the Leventritt Competition in 1949. His career included extensive tours and recordings with orchestras worldwide. Notable works include Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic in 1964, and George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for Woody Allen's film Manhattan in 1979. A hand injury in 1977 led Graffman to focus on teaching and composing. He joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute in 1980, serving as its president from 1995 until his retirement in 2006. Among his notable students were Lang Lang and Yuja Wang. He passed away on December 27, 2025.
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