Hometown: Pampa, Texas

Gregory Smith, a Texas native, began his piano studies at age 5. He graduated summa cum laude  from Brigham Young University, receiving his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance in 2021. His former instructors include Dr. Stephen Beus, Dr. Jeffrey Shumway, and Dr. James Rauscher. 

At BYU, Gregory frequently assisted the opera program, serving as a rehearsal pianist for many productions, including Purcell’s Dido and Anaeas, Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, and Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. He also performed with the BYU concert choir and both wind ensembles. 

Gregory has been the recipient of many awards and honors. He received 1st place in the 2021 Utah Young Collaborative Pianists Competition. More recently, he received the 2022 Koeng Award for excellence in vocal collaboration, was awarded 2nd place pianist in the 2022 Kneisel Lieder Competition at Eastman, and participated as a Brown Loranger Fellow at SongFest 2022, studying with Martin Katz and Graham Johnson. He will return to SongFest again in 2023, in addition to his studies at the TSM Art of Song Program.  

Gregory is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music, where he holds a graduate assistantship in studio accompanying, and he anticipates beginning his DMA studies for the same program next fall. He is studying under the direction of Dr. Andrew Harley. Equally passionate about music theory, he is also pursuing an Advanced Certificate in Music Theory Pedagogy and serves as a teaching assistant in the theory department.