Peiyu (Peggy) Yang began playing piano at the age of four and violin at the age of six. She has been double majoring in both instruments at Manhattan School of Music (MSM) Precollege for ten years with straight A’s, having extensive experience in orchestra, chamber ensembles, choir, music theory, music history, aural training, and conducting. She is currently a junior at Bergen County Academies in the Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology, in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Peggy is a frequent winner of violin competitions, including the 2017 International Shining Stars Debut Competition, performing with the New York Concerti Sinfonietta in October 2017; 2018 International Music Organization (IMO) New York Concerto Debut Competition, performing with the IMO Orchestra in June 2018; First Prize in the 2017 ELITE International Music Competition; First Prize in the 2018 and 2019 National Artists Competition; First Prize in the 2018 and 2019 Grand Virtuoso Competition, with invitations to perform in Vienna and Amsterdam. She has been studying violin with Elizabeth Faidley since 2016 and has since played in the MSM Precollege Philharmonic Orchestra. Through Ms. Faidley’s studio, Peggy has participated in masterclasses with artists including Ray Chen, Vadim Gluzman, Ayano Ninomiya, Noa Kageyama, and Lisa Batiashvili.
On piano, Peggy was the First Place Winner of the MSM Precollege 2012-2013 Concerto Competition. She was also the Grand Winner of the National Young Musicians Showcase Competition for multiple years, a semifinalist in the 2016 Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition, and Second Prize Winner of the 2019 National Artists Competition, among many other awards. In May 2018, Peggy held a solo piano recital at MSM featuring works by Bach, Chopin, and Ravel.
Besides music, Peggy loves math, science, and computer programming, and has won various math and science competitions. A seven-time qualifier of the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), she achieved Honorable Mention in the 2017 Math Prize for Girls (MPfG) competition at MIT, qualifying for the MPfG Olympiad, and was a Division B individual finalist in the 2018 Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC). She was a member of the team which placed 1st in New Jersey and 2nd nationally at the 2018 National Technology Student Association (TSA) TEAMS Competition. She attended the Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS) at Boston University in the summer of 2018, and advanced to the Gold Division of the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) in January 2019. Peggy has co-founded TechKids, a non-profit organization teaching programming to elementary and middle school students at three locations in New Jersey, and is a paid Python programming instructor at the Gauss Academy of Mathematical Education. In her free time, Peggy enjoys classical and Broadway singing, figure skating, traveling, and reading.
Zigeunerweisen, Sarasate, 8'17"
https://youtu.be/HRz0nhUvKOw
