Pianist Katrine Wong Ka-ki's accomplished performance plucked at the judges' heart-strings, earning her the South China Morning Post Student Musician of the Year award.
Ka-ki, a sixth-former at the Diocesan Girls' School, started piano lessons when she was just six years old and sat her Performer's Diploma at 14.
Judge Anthony Camden praised Ka-ki's 'dynamic range and use of colour' in her rendition of Mendelssohn's Variations Serieuses Op 54.
Mr Camden, Dean of Music at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (APA), said Ka-ki was an exciting performer who combined fine technique with an expressive quality. He also said she could sing beautifully.
Ka-ki said the secret to her success was focus. 'Learning music isn't easy,' said the 17-year-old. 'It's not a question of how much you practise, but how much you concentrate.' Already, Ka-ki's talent has shone brightly. Last year, she won the Hong Kong Piano Competition Open Class (HK round) and at the 49th Hong Kong School Music Festival she took out the Gold Medal Award (Open Class).
Her next goal is this year's Hong Kong Piano Competition where she is keen to defeat contestants from the mainland.
All the hours devoted to music have not affected Ka-li's school work.