Riko Pang, Age 8
USA
Score: 85.63
Riko Pang, age 8, has been studying with Betty Haag-Kuhnke at the Betty Haag Academy of Music since she was almost four years old. At six, she was selected to perform at Carnegie Hall with Magical Strings of Youth, a violin ensemble. With this group, she traveled to Lisbon, Portugal performing a series of concerts for the Lisbon Mayor and U.S diplomats. Last summer, she passed two rounds of auditions and qualified for the finals in the All Japan Junior Classical Music Competition held in Tokyo, Japan. She couldn't take part in the finals due to her school starting in USA. Riko was a first prize winner in the Primary Division at the 2017 Sejong Cultural Society Music Competition. She was also a winner at the DePaul Junior Division Concerto Festival for young performers this year. She performed solo with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. She also participated in a master class conducted by John MacFarlane.
Outside of music, Riko is an avid reader and enjoys all sports, especially tennis. She currently trains at River Trails Tennis Center. During the fall, she participated in Barrington School District's 1/2-mile race and was the fastest second grade runner. Riko is fluent in three languages: Japanese, English, and Mandarin.
Bach, J.S. Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041-MVT.1
https://youtu.be/VMRv7rKkaAQ
(4 minutes)
Fritz Kreisler Praeludium and Allego
https://youtu.be/5sNpB7XJYLE
(6 minutes 4 seconds)
