Niwa
was an avid tennis player during her years at Taft and became a two-time Chicago
City Parks tennis champion. The daughter of professional musicians, Gail Niwa
began piano studies with her mother and made her orchestral debut with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age eight. She earned her Bachelor and Master of
Music degrees on scholarship at the Juilliard School.
Niwa won numerous international awards and competitions including first prize at
the Washington International Competition in 1987 and subsequent Kennedy Center
debut, and Best Accompanist award at the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition for
violinists in Moscow.
In 1991 Niwa created a sensation by becoming the first woman ever to win the
Gold Medal at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. She was also
awarded the Audience Prize and the Chamber Music Prize. She won major prizes in
the International Chopin Competition, the Mae Whitaker Competition, and the
Washington International Competition.
Among her recordings were the Saint-Saen's finale from “Carnival of the Animals”
for Disney's Fantasia 2000 soundtrack, "Music for Bassoon, Piano and Cello" CD
in 1995, and recordings under the Musical Heritage Society and Teldec labels.
She won major prizes in the International Chopin Competition, the Mae Whitaker
Competition and the Washington International Competition as well as the Audience
Prize and the Chamber Music Prize.
Niwa was the founder and artistic director of Chamber Music at Great Gorge in
northwestern New Jersey. The organization's purpose is to bring chamber music
concerts at affordable prices with leading professional musicians from around
the country. The organization also sponsors a school outreach program where
musicians perform and interact with elementary students.
Niwa died in February 2021.