Pitch perfect: Hong Kong prodigy Hannah Tam Wan-ching wins international violin competition

But Hannah Tam Wan-ching is not like most people her age. Her biggest dislike is bad pitch; in fact she hates it.

What sets her apart doesn’t end there. This month, the child prodigy became the first Hong Kong winner of the 17th international violin competition Kulturstiftung Hohenlohe in Germany.

“I can’t stand bad intonation because it hurts my ears, so I practise up to four hours a day before or after homework,” the Form One pupil at St Paul Co-ed told the Post.

It was that drive – along with her violin professor, a supporting pianist, a smiling tiger mum, hard work and talent – that has allowed her to achieve success at such an early age.

Her mother, Iris Chow Man a self-described tiger mum, “though a smiling one”, recalled the first sign of Hannah’s special gift.

“She was three and one day complained from inside the bathroom about her brother’s bad intonation. So I recorded his playing and asked his teacher about the intonation, and the answer was ‘bad’,” Chow said with a laugh.