About the artist:

Wong Wai Yin (piano)

Fourteen-year-old pianist Wong Wai Yin is currently studying in Form Three of St. Mary's Canossian College. Admitted to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts at the age of five, she is now a student of Mr. Gabriel Kwok, Head of the Academy's Keyboard Department.

This April, she became the youngest Gold Medal winner in the Intermediate Group (age 14  19) of the VII International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz held in Ukraine. She played Chopin's Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor with the Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine in the final round of the competition. The jury members were so impressed with her playing that they gave her the "Young Talent" award together with five Special Prizes, including "Special Character and Creativity in Playing", "Best Performance with Orchestra", "Best Performance of a Work by a Ukrainian Composer" plus an invitation to perform in the Opening Solo Recital for the Newport International Festival in USA and a recital in Salle Alfred Cortot of Paris.

Her other awards include First Prize at the 60th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, UK, in July 2006; Third prize at the 10th Ettlingen International Piano Competition in Germany in August; First Prize at the Junior Group (age under 20) of the 3rd Asian Youth Music Competition in Shanghai in February; Gold Prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Japan in 2005 and First Prizes of the Piano Concerto categories (both Romantic and Classical periods) in the Asia Piano Open Competition in Hong Kong.

Her extraordinary achievement at the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival has become a legend. She won five important awards  Gold Medal Award in the Open Class, winner of the Tom Lee Music Scholarship, the Junior Exhibitioner Award, and she won both of the Piano Concerto classes (under age 18 and under age 12). She was also the champion of five different categories in the year 2004.

She has twice performed with the Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra, once as a featured soloist on a tour of USA, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia playing the "Yellow River Concerto".

In September 2007, Wai Yin performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. In October, she went on a concert tour of New York, Washington D.C. and Chicago. In 2008, she will give recitals in Egypt and Israel.

Wai Yin was awarded a Certificate of Commendation by the Secretary for Home Affairs in 2006 for her outstanding achievements in the promotion of arts and culture in Hong Kong.