Gabriela Montero was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She first played the piano in public when she was five. When she was eight she played with the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra conducted by José Antonio Abreu. She was given a scholarship from the Venezuelan government to study in the USA. When she was twelve she won the Baldwin National Competition and AMSA Young Artist International Piano Competition, performing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.