Grace Moore of Brooklyn, New York, may be shy when it comes to speaking, but her musical expression is an incredible force.
Introduced to the piano at age 2, the 12-year-old has spent the last decade honing her talent. This year, she made New York Philharmonic history!
The gifted student at Poly Prep Country Day School is a member of the Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program, which teaches kids as young as 8 to compose original scores (with or without musical backgrounds). The goal is to create opportunities for them to harness their creative energies – and Grace is thriving because of it!
“Music just gives me another way to express myself because I’m shy,” she said. “I feel like music can change how people see the world around them.”
The preteen is doing so well, in fact, that she’s becoming one of New York Philharmonic’s youngest composers! Kids in the program sometimes have their work performed by members of the orchestra, and in October, Philharmonic musicians debuted “Summer,” a masterpiece Grace wrote herself.
Her mom couldn’t be more thrilled – and neither could her classmates! “#PolyPrep is so proud of seventh-grader Grace Moore ’26,” the school tweeted. “Hear her beautiful music composed as part of the NY Philharmonic Very Young Composers program.”
Of course, Grace is proud of herself too, not only for her musical talent, but also for inspiring other musicians of color to chase their dreams. “I hope everyone follows their hobbies and do what they love,” she said.
What an honor to have her work played by such an iconic orchestra! Clearly, Grace has earned it. This girl is going places!
Listen to the world premiere of “Summer” in the video below, and share this story to make someone smile.
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