Photo by Bryan Yen
Winning the highest competition award at the GOCAA International Piano Competition in Boston this August 2019 Gregory Vandikas was awarded a concert tour and CD recording contract in the upcoming season. This award came on the heels of winning the Grand Prize at the International Music Festival and Competition held in Toronto in May 2019. He performed with the Kindred Spirits Orchestra's Concert Series in the 2020-2021 season. He has represented Ontario at the CFMTA National Piano Competition in Winnipeg and won the 2nd place award at the OMFA Provincial Competition in 2019. In 2020, he won the OMFA Open Concerto category in his performance of Scriabin's Piano Concerto while accompanied by his brother, Anthony Vandikas. Gregory has been awarded the Newmarket Arts Grant by the Newmarket Arts Council, as well as the RCM National Gold Medal Award for his Licentiate Diploma in Piano Performance. Most recently, he won the concerto competition and performed with the McGill Symphony Orchestra in September 2022.
Gregory has performed in masterclass for such noted artists as John O’Conor, Jean Saulnier, Ronan O'Hara, Shai Wosner, Benedetto Lupo, Suzanne Beaubien, Mari Kodama, Evelyne Brancart, William Aide, Paul Komen, Jamie Parker, Charles-Richard Hamelin, and Curtis Institute professor, Meng Chien Liu. He won first in his age division in the 2017 Crescendo International Piano Competition, which led to a live performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He played a live performance at the New Classical FM 96.3’s noon hour that same year. He has performed several solo concerts since, one of which was under the sponsorship of the Steinway Piano Gallery Concert Series.
He has completed both his Licentiate and Associate Diploma for Piano Performance, receiving a First Class Honours with Distinction in both and earning the RCM national gold medal for his Licentiate Diploma. Gregory has also completed his level 8 cello under cellist, Hannah Jackson. A graduate of the Arts Unionville program at Unionville High School, he performed as a soloist, duo partner, and collaborative pianist as well as playing the saxophone, bassoon, and cello in the school ensembles.
He has attended the Peter de Grote Festival in the Netherlands, as well as the Domaine Forget International Festival and Orford Musique Summer Academy in Quebec. Awarded the Davis Scholarship and the Student Excellence Award, he has currently completed his Bachelor of Music Degree under Prof. Kyoko Hashimoto at the Schulich School of Music, McGill University in Quebec. He will be pursuing his Master of Music Degree at Universite de Montreal under Jean Saulnier. Gregory enjoys performing a range of musical styles and is at home both in classical and jazz.