“Chinese music is enchanting and unique. We love it,” said Annie, a resident of the Brooklyn, New York who sat 10 rows away from the stage. “I want to know more about Chinese pianists and traditional Chinese music. I learned a lot from Audrey’s performance!” Also in the audience was Ms Chan, who has lived in New York for more than two decades. She said Audrey’s rendering of Selling Sundry Goods reminded her of China, making her feel as if she was back to her home country. “It evoked my memories of the streets that I used to visit when I grew up. There was a heartwarming feeling of nostalgia.”

During her trip to New York, Audrey visited the Juilliard School. It was a tour that reinforced her dream to become a musician. She also attended a master’s class given by the world’s best piano teacher Gary Graffman. The 91-year-old educator, who was Lang Lang’s teacher when the latter studied in the US, watched Audrey play and then explained to her in details various piano-playing techniques. Speaking with a smile, he said: “I guess I haven’t taught such a young child for years. Audrey Sung from China plays very well!”

Following her success at Carnegie Hall, Audrey continued to pursue her music dream without letting herself rest on her laurels. On 28 August, she gave a performance at the 15th Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Piano Festival 2019 . Then she participated in the Shanghai International Youth Piano Competition  of the 2019 International Music Masters Festival  and took home the Grand Prize of the P. I. Tchaikovsky Memorial Award . That prize was of a higher level than the first prize and was a recognition the organiser gave to the best player.

In that competition, Audrey delivered a solid performance as usual, touching the audience with her excellent ability to express herself through music. That was the first time she performed in Shanghai. Mikhail Alexandrov, a piano teacher at Moscow Conservatory, was full of praise for the young pianist. “Thank you for delivering a high-standard performance!” he said, adding that he learned Chopin’s Nocturnes only at the age of 16, but “you are only nine and you played better than I did when I was 16!”

Chinese pianist Liu Shikun was one of the internationally renowned pianists on the panel of judges of the Shanghai event. After Audrey won the Grand Prize, he, together with numerous pianists and music educators, wrote her a congratulatory note. Liu said he hoped she would keep refining her skills and continue to make fast progress.

Despite her young age, Audrey traveled to different parts of the world to perform and took part in competitions, all for her music dream. In last July, the Hong Kong-based pupil decided to return to her hometown Xiamen to give her first solo concert. “My hometown Xiamen is famous for its pianos and is a music city. It has a long history of piano music. I am proud of it. It is the starting point of my music dream,” she said.

Many of us have heard the old joke: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practise, practise, practise.” That is precisely what Audrey has been doing. She started taking piano lessons at the age of six. At nine, she already managed to perform at New York’s world-class, landmark venue. That all boils down to her talent, as well as her hard work.

“She doesn’t need our supervision. Ever since her first piano lesson, it has always been her taking the initiative to play. Each sitting lasts for several hours. She’s very focused,” Audrey’s mother said, adding that her daughter aspires to be an established pianist and is obsessed with practising. As a big fan of Mozart, Chopin, Liszt and Beethoven, Audrey listens to their stories every night before sleeping and listens to their music during the day. Of late, she has taken a shine to the operatic works of Verdi and Puccini. Despite her busy schedule, she made sure to go to at least one concert at Carnegie Hall during her trip to New York.

Audrey is currently a primary school student at Harrow International School Hong Kong. This summer holiday, while her friends were enjoying their free time, she practised the piano four to five hours a day. Arriving in New York for Carnegie Hall performance, still struggling with her jet lag, she lost no time to look for a piano practice room near her hotel, where she ended up practising half a day every day.

This is a girl who lives up to the expectations of her parents, who set her on a course to be a musician. With her talent, Audrey has won the appreciation of many piano masters at home and abroad, who are more than happy to guide her and help her improve.

When she was six, Audrey started learning the piano in Vancouver from Jiang Han (Bachelor of Music, Central Conservatory of Music). Two years later, she studied after the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts’ well-known music professor Eleanor Wong. This year, during her school breaks, she made a step up in scale in her practice by attending classes taught by Professor Jacqueline Tang at the High School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Professor Chen Hung-kuan at the Juilliard School.

According to Jiang, Sung is notably gifted and conscientious compared with other children of her age. “She is very gifted, with an ability to express herself through the piano. And she is very positive.” 

Audrey Sung’s music dream
2016  

• Starts taking piano lessons at 6

2017　

• First runner-up at the 4th Hong Kong Asia-Pacific Youth Piano Competition
• Champion in her age group at the Hong Kong Youth Piano Competition
• First runner-up in her age group at the Hong Kong Youth Piano Competition

2018　

• Champion at the 5th Hong Kong Asia-Pacific Youth Piano Competition
• First solo concert in her hometown Xiamen

2019  

• Performs at Carnegie Hall in New York at the age of nine    
• Gold medal (youth) at the Pacific Rim International Music Festival
• Appointed charity ambassador to the 2019 Shanghai Youth Music Week 
• Performs at the 15th Shanghai Conservatory of the Music International Piano Festival 2019 
• Grand Prize of the P. I. Tchaikovsky Memorial Award at the Shanghai International Youth Piano Competition  of the 2019 International Music Masters Festival