CIM’s Gabriela Montero meets, performs for Pope Leo XIV

When it comes to transcendent encounters, pianist Gabriela Montero is typically the vehicle, not the beneficiary. She’s the elegant medium through which others perceive the sublime. 

At least, that was true until late last month, when the tables turned and CIM’s Jonathan and Linn Epstein Artist-in-Residence met and performed for newly elected Pope Leo XIV. On that occasion, Montero was the one who experienced the unforgettable. 

“For me, just the day we had, to be part of that and have that moment, that was very special,” Montero said. “To be inside the Vatican in that private way was incredible.”

Montero’s appearance at the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church was no fluke. An award-winning artist and an advocate for human rights in her native Venezuela, Montero was one of just seven top musicians invited to the enclave to help Pope Leo – himself a trained pianist – celebrate the ongoing Jubilee year and proclaim a message of hope. 

In addition to Montero, Pope Leo invited Ukrainian cellist Aleksey Shadrin as well as 

pianists Beatrice Rana, Brad Mehldau, Francesco Piemontesi, Aleksandr Malofeev, and Nobuyuki Tsujii, winner of the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. 

“Of course you don’t say no to a thing like that,” Montero remarked. 

In the end, due to scheduling challenges, Pope Leo was unable to attend the group’s concert, located on the Piazza Pio, just outside Vatican City, in which Montero said only sacred music is permitted. 

He was not among the crowd of church officials and Italian dignitaries who Montero said were “very involved…feeling the same thing” as she exhibited her singular gift for improvisation using the “Ode to Joy” theme from Beethoven Symphony’s No. 9. 

But Montero wasn’t disappointed by the Pope’s absence. Far from it. In fact, she was elated by the whole experience, thrilled not only to receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the Vatican but also to perform in such a prominent and meaningful context. 

Moreover, she did enjoy a one-on-one encounter with His Holiness. After exchanging pleasantries with Pope Leo XIV, Montero said she made a plea for the people of Venezuela, one that did not fall on deaf ears. 

“It was a brief but beautiful moment,” Montero said. “I said ‘Please help us.’ He gave me a very warm smile.”