Described as “adorable and formidable” by the Illinois Times, nine-year-old Sylvia Pine began violin studies at age two and a half with Isabelle Rozendaal and currently studies with Davis King. She made her radio debut in October 2018 on the nationally syndicated show Performance Today.
As a Gold Medalist in the Young Maestro International Competition, Sylvia will perform at Carnegie Hall in 2022. She has also won First Prize in 15 other international competitions: the Junior Strings division of the Bach with a View International Young Artist Competition, and London’s International Great Composers Competition’s Best Mozart Performance, Best Bach Performance, Best Vivaldi Performance, The Art of Strings, The Music of Germany and Austria (instrumental and vocal), The Music of Mediterranean Europe (instrumental and vocal), The Music of America, The Music of the 19th Century (instrumental and vocal), The Music of the 18th Century, and The Music of the 17th Century (instrumental and vocal). She has also won Third Prize in the Kocian International Violin Competition in Czech Republic, First Prize in the Society of American Musicians Competition, Firs and Prize in the Music Festival in Honor of Confucius Competition.
In 2020, Sylvia was to have appeared as soloist with five orchestras, including the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, the Rockford Symphony, and a tour of Israel with the Tel Aviv Soloists, with works including Schindler’s List and concertos by Bach and Vivaldi. Sylvia has given solo performances for WFMT, the Musicians Club of Women, the Museum of Science and Industry’s Christmas Around the World, the Illinois Symphony’s annual gala, the American String Teachers Association National Conference in Albuquerque, the Suzuki Association of the Americas National Conference in Minneapolis, and the 100th anniversary convention of the National Association of Negro Musicians. She has also given numerous performances around the U.S. and beyond at schools, retirement homes, homeless shelters, and children’s hospitals.
Sylvia is assistant concertmaster of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Debut Orchestra and attends group violin class at Northwestern University’s Strings Academy. She has composed dozens of works and participates in the Tucson Symphony’s Young Composers Project. She also studies baroque and renaissance violin, medieval rebec, American old-time fiddling, Scottish fiddling, electric rock violin, jazz improv, music theory, piano, recorder, and voice. In 2019, Sylvia made her vocal debut in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the St. Pauls UCC choir and orchestra, and she belongs to the Chicago Children’s Choir. She celebrated her 1,500th day in a row of practicing on April 2.
Sylvia is home schooled. In addition to music, she enjoys reading, writing stories, playing in the woods, drawing, and learning about different species of mythical creatures. She is vegan and loves all animals.
