Our final installment for the Class of 2026’s Most Musical is a girl who came out of nowhere and blew us all away.
A senior this year, Katherine Gal is an AP Scholar with Distinction, a member of the Timpview Dance Company, and a piano player of 6 years.
She discovered her keenness for music when she was 11 from tinkering around with the piano they had in their home and learning songs from YouTube tutorials. “I stayed with piano because of its beautiful sound quality, versatility, ability to convey emotion, and all the amazing classical music pianists have written on it, especially from the romantic era,” Gal says. She’s achieved prestigious accolades on piano, winning superior rankings at the National Federation of Music competitions in 2024 and 2025.
She looks to many musicians for inspiration, but one of her biggest is Chopin, finding his music extremely beautiful and hoping to learn as much of it as she can. She also looks to her family, many of whom are musicians, for musical inspiration along with life inspiration, explaining how they are amazing people that she really looks up to.
On May 11th she will be performing Concerto in A Minor by Greig. She chose this concerto because of its beautiful, minor melody, and the contrast between its big and powerful sections and calm, legato sections. “You really have to love what you’re playing to take on a 13 minute long piece,” Gal says. “Which I do! This is one of the first pieces I ever learned to play with sheet music at age 13, and I fell in love with it then too.”
Apart from piano, Gal appreciates music through her love of dance. She began dancing when she was just 3 years old, having been put into it by her parents, but loving it so much that she stuck with it. “I’ve continued to dance because I’ve been doing it for so long and have spent so many hours in the studio that it has become a big part of my life and gives me purpose,” Gal says. “It’s also a great source of exercise and I love the community.” She has since joined the Timpview Dance Company and has been able to perform and compete with them, even being awarded a dance scholarship at the Shakespeare Festival in October 2025. Beyond Timpview she has also competed at the Youth American Grand Prix, a ballet competition, semifinals several times with the Jacqueline’s School of Ballet and won 2nd place for a trio in 2024.
After high school she plans to attend BYU and join the Ballet Company, continuing to play piano in any way she can, but shifting her focus more completely to dance.
Gal strives to be genuine in all she does, living her life with the goal of being happy, doing what she loves, and helping others. When asked what advice she would like to give younger musicians, she said, “Keep doing what you love, practice always pays off!”
Katherine Gal shines on stage in many ways. Make sure to mark your calendars and come to the Dance Concert, April 30th and May 1st at 7 PM, with a senior showcase on May 1st at 6:15 PM, and come to the Orchestra Concert, May 11th at 7 PM to see her amazing concerto! You don’t want to miss this beautiful performer.
