A Levittown teenager used her musical talent to win first place at an international competition.
Felicia Garramone is a 16-year-old junior at General Douglas MacArthur High School in Levittown. She began playing the piano at 4 and recently became a gold medalist in the 2024 International Piano Competition “Andrey Stoyanov” in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The competition was held between Nov. 14 and Nov. 17. Garramone said she found out about the competition from her private piano teacher, who is Bulgarian. She submitted a video of playing three pieces, one composed by Stoyanov himself, another by his son, and a third by Franz Liszt.
The competition had 11 groups with each section designating a different age range. Garramone won gold in the section ranging from ages 15 to 19. She was competing against 16 other pianists in her group.
Garramone described her first encounter with a piano.
“I saw it one day in the store, and I played a few keys, and I really fell in love with the instrument, so I told my mom that I wanted to start playing it,” she said.
Garramone playing the piano in front of judges. Photo courtesy of Levittown Public SchoolsAnd her musical journey continued from there. She began taking lessons and learning the basics of the instrument. Garramone said she was the first person in her family to play the piano. She achieved a score of 100 on Level 6 (the highest level) at NYSSMA in fifth grade on the piano.
“I can barely play the radio, so to see a young lady of her talent is really just incredible,” MacArthur Principal Joseph Sheehan said. “She consistently demonstrates all the traits and characteristics that are paramount for success as a student, a musician, and a community member.”
Piano isn’t the only instrument that Garramone plays. She is also a cello player, something that she picked up in elementary school after being inspired by an orchestra performance.
“I wanted to play the violin, but then my mom told me that the violin was too common, and she thought it would be better for me to play the cello because it’s different and more unique,” Garramone said.
The musician also completed NYSSMA Level 6 with a score of 100 on the cello in eighth grade and performed with the All-State Orchestra in Rochester in December 2024.
Although Garramone has over a year before graduating high school, she said that she wants to double major in music and biology.
“I still love music, and I definitely want to continue doing it for my future,” Garramone said.
