Ryan McGaughey started piano lessons at age 12. Playing video games basically from the moment he could hold a controller, it came as no surprise that he began playing music from video games on the piano. In fact, it was playing video game music that hooked him on the instrument to begin with.
Through video game music, he realized he enjoyed classical music and he ultimately went on to study classical piano performance at Humboldt State University, where he studied piano under Dr. Daniela Mineva. He then continued his studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he obtained a Master’s degree in piano performance studying under Prof. Alexander Kobrin.
His piano studies have led him to receiving many accolades, including winning the concerto competitions at the North State Symphony, the Eureka Symphony, and Humboldt Symphony. He has also been a participant and performer in music festivals such as the Round Top Music Festival in Texas and the Atlantic Music Festival in Maine. He has also performed at VGM CON in 2021 & 2022.
In addition to being a pianist, McGaughey is also a composer and often plays his own works for solo piano. Ryan currently teaches piano, accompanies, and performs classical and video game music concert.
In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, of course, and is enthusiastic about the outdoors, fishing, hiking, and backpacking.