Karen Matsui is a freshman at Valley Christian High School and an Honor Fellow in Piano Performance at the Conservatory Program. She began piano at age 5 with a perfect pitch.
Over the years, Karen has won numerous prizes in prestigious competitions. Some of her notable wins include the First Prizes in Marian Filice Piano Competition at Gavilan College 2025, United States Open Music Competition 2024,2022, New Star International Competition 2024, Second Prize in Pacific Musical Society (Composition) 2024, First Prize in the Great Masters International Piano Competition 2023. Karen is the first recipient of an inaugural “Think Music Award” Scholarship sponsored by Steinway Artist Alumni Elliot Wuu at Valley Christian School.
Other notable awards include Underrated Composer Prize and Honorary Mention in Carol Zeiter Piano Competition 2025, Winner of Junior Bach, Elevato, MTAC Solo Category, Silicon Valley Music Competition, United States International Music Competition among others. Karen has honored to participate in masterclasses with Prof. Victor Rosenbaum, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, David Cohen, Elliot Wuu and Yoshikazu Nagai.
Karen is also an outstanding chamber musician. Karen’s piano and violin Duo won the First Prize in US Open Music Competition 2024. Also Karen’s Valley Christian Junior High Piano Trio was awarded First Prizes at the USIMC 2023 and the Santa Cruz Youth Chamber Music Competition 2023. The Trio was invited to the Music For All national Chamber Music Festival 2023 in Indianapolis.
As an avid improviser since she was 7 years old, Karen has been invited to perform at the Improvisation Honor’s Recital at the MTAC Annual Convention 2023, 2024. Karen's Improvisational work also received the First Prize at CAPMT Creative Vision Contest in 2023. Most recently, Karen’s original composition received Second Prize in the Golden Key Piano Composition Competition, and was invited to perform at the World Composers Recital in Vienna in the summer of 2024.
This summer 2025, Karen is excited to spend summer at Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) Young Pianist Program in Massachusetts.
Debussy: L'isle Joyeuse
Minako Tokuyama: Musica Nara for Piano, Op. 25
